Devon Alexander Mosley, age 31, had been in the Dallas County Jail before his December 4, 2018, death. Although jailers had placed him in the jail’s medical unit, his cause of death was not immediately apparent.

Sadly, inmates in U.S. jails are often allegedly denied medical care. In a particular county jail outside of Texas, a series of complaints were made regarding medical neglect. Among the affected inmates was a 27-year-old woman who was arrested for failing to pay traffic tickets. She was allegedly ignored when experiencing a health crisis and died in the jail.

An Epileptic Inmate’s Signs of Distress are Allegedly Ignored

The 27-year-old woman at the jail was an epileptic. Surveillance cameras captured evidence of her experiencing seizures and vomiting in the last several days before her death. She repeatedly asked to go to a hospital, but the request was denied. Instead, she was provided with a mop to clean up her own vomit. Video records show that she died from a seizure in her jail cell. When she was discovered unconscious, resuscitation was allegedly not attempted and medical personnel were not summoned.

Inmates in need of medical help have rights. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards determines the minimal jail standards in Texas county jails, and those standards include requirements for attending to the medical needs of patients.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

With the posts on this site, it is intended that inmates currently or previously incarcerated in Texas county jails will find that it is a helpful resource. There is never an intent to infer that wrongs have occurred on the part of institutions or individuals.

–Guest Contributor