Jose Trinidad Barrera died on July 7, 2023, in the custody of Bexar County Jail. He had arrived at the jail 8 days earlier. The custodial death report’s (CDR’s) summary of how his death occurred doesn’t begin by saying, for instance, that the inmate was found unresponsive. It simply begins by stating that on June 28, 2023, a Code 1 blue (medical emergency) was initiated for inmate Barrera, Jose #335835, at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, Annex.

Does the Texas Heat Cause Inmate Deaths in County Jails? Continued

In the article alluded to earlier about heat-related deaths in Texas jails and prisons, science is cited as a backup to the insinuation that more people in jails die because of heat than the statistics show. Many studies have conclusively shown that extreme heat is linked to an increase in fatal heart failure. Heat is often overlooked, however, as a factor in an individual’s cause of death.

An emergency medical physician at Memorial Hermann said that during a heatwave, you can count on an increase in fatal cardiac arrests. He further said that heat stroke alone can also lead to deaths seemingly caused by cardiac arrest.

When a heat stroke occurs, said one physician, it essentially means that the person is to the point where they are now having some sort of organ damage. Cardiac arrest can occur if the heart is not getting enough blood.

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this ongoing series.

One of the reasons this website was created was to provide Texas inmates in municipal and county jails and their families with helpful resources. There is no intention of making accusations against individuals or entities on this site.

–Guest Contributor