Leo Lawrence was admitted into Wichita County Jail in Wichita Falls, Texas, on July 7, 2021. Before his death at age 72 on September 15, 2021, he was seen breathing heavily in his cell at around midday. Within minutes, he was unresponsive and then pronounced dead at a medical facility an hour after his physical distress was first reported.

One of the minimum jail standards that county jails are required to abide by is to provide medical services. Each county must come up with its own plan, which must be approved by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS).

Inmate Medical Care

In one particular county jail in Texas, the jail website indicates that medical attention is given to inmates regardless of their ability to pay for the medical care. As an example of inmate medical care, the basic medical services provided at that Texas jail include the following:

• New significant illnesses will be assessed
• Emergency medical services
• Supervision and monitoring of chronic disorders

Medications

A licensed medical staff member must distribute medications per the order of the jail physician. Inmates are able to purchase some over-the-counter medications from the commissary.

Dental Services

The jail provides tooth extractions.

Learn more in this ongoing series.

There is no desire or intention on this website to suggest that any individual or entity has been a participant in wrongdoing. Each of the posts on the site is intended as a resource to help inmates in Texas incarcerated now or previously in a county jail.

–Guest Contributor