The custodial death report (CDR) about Ronald Tracy Bush, who was a detainee at Comal County Jail in New Braunfels, Texas, provides details about his health complaints while he was incarcerated. The CDR indicates that Mr. Bush was booked into the jail on June 8, 2023, with unknown preexisting health issues and died on July 11, 2023. With no specific dates, the CDR shows that he complained of constipation, back pain, and other issues. On June 14, Mr. Bush complained of sickness and abdominal pain.

Restraint Chairs are Linked to 20 Deaths in 6 Years

A watchdog group investigated county jails in their use of restraint chairs and discovered that at least 20 deaths linked to restraint chairs occurred in the 6-year period ending in 2020.

Cases of abuse were uncovered during the course of the investigation. A Kentucky jail was scrutinized after a detainee complained that, after learning that a family member died, he was placed in a restraint chair because he asked to make a phone call. Invariably, the guidelines for county jails are to use restraint chairs only when a detainee can’t be controlled by any other means.

In Texas, guidelines for the use of all approved types of restraints, which includes restraint chairs, are provided in the chapter on Health Services. Learn more about Rule §273.6-Restraints and restraint chairs in the next segment of this series. Also, see Part 1 and Part 2.

This website aims to provide resources helpful to Texas inmates detained in county and municipal jails. There is never an intention of insinuating that persons or organizations have been participants in wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor