Devon Alexander Mosley was in the medical unit at Dallas County Jail when he was discovered to be unresponsive on November 23, 2018. A jailer contacted the jail staff nurse and called 9-1-1. Mr. Mosley, age 31, was pronounced dead shortly after EMS arrived.

The rate of death due to natural causes such as health issues is approximately the same inside jails as outside of jails, according to recent research. Just the same, each year, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards receives more complaints about medical care in Texas county jails than any other type of issue.

People have a right to necessary medical care during incarceration. There are often stories from various jails around the nation indicating that individuals have died allegedly because of medical care neglect. The following is one example of the types of allegations recently made by US prisoners.

Denial of Medical Care is Asserted in the Death of an Inmate

After being incarcerated for months, an inmate was diagnosed as a diabetic. Although the inmate reported experiencing bouts of dizziness, requesting that he sleep on a lower bunk, his request was denied. Soon after, he fell from the top bunk to the concrete floor and sustained injuries to his head, neck, and shoulders. A portable X-ray machine evaluated the man and stated that he had signs of arthritis but no detectable injuries that might be caused by a fall. His problems continued and his complaints were repeatedly ignored.

In the meantime, the inmate had problems with his blood sugars. Eventually, he lost the use of his legs.

After two months of reporting symptoms of the head injury, the inmate was transferred to a hospital for surgery on his back and spine. The inmate’s injuries were complicated, and he was eventually transferred to a nursing home, where he died.

Claims of denial of medical care and gross negligence have been made against the jail.

Learn more in this three-part series.

This website provides posts as a potential resource to help county jail inmates in Texas. There is never an intention on this site to make suggestions that any person or entity has engaged in wrongs.

–Guest Contributor