Thirty-one-year-old Justin Joshua Flores was booked into El Paso County Jail in El Paso, Texas, on November 26, 2021. He was discovered unresponsive at 10:41 pm on December 6, 2021, with no signs of trauma or injury. After being transported to a nearby hospital, Mr. Flores was pronounced dead 70 minutes later.

Inmates have a right to medical care, and the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has included requirements for inmate medical care in the minimum jail standards for operation. Every year, complaints about inadequate medical care in Texas county jails are common. Stories from Texas and across the U.S. reveal patterns in which adequate care is seemingly denied for the purpose of cutting costs. Medical treatments become a conflict of interest and inmates often lose out at the cost of their lives.

A recent example occurred in a county jail outside of Texas. The family of an inmate who died has released the story about their loved one in the hopes of exposing disturbing practices. Their loved one supposedly died of natural causes, according to the coroner. The family believes that denial of medical care in the jail resulted in his death.

Family members say that their loved one who died had a heart defect that can lead to muscular dystrophy and heart failure. He received medical treatment for both conditions throughout his life. That is, until he was incarcerated.

See this ongoing series to learn more.

Insinuating that persons or entities engaged in wrongdoing is never intended on this website. Each of the posts on this site is added to provide helpful information that could benefit inmates in Texas county jails.

–Guest Contributor