Roy Dale Parson was 59 years old when he died in the custody of Taylor County Jail in Abilene, Texas. Originally booked into the jail on July 21, 2018, Parson died on Saturday, March 2, 2019.

The rate of inmate deaths dying of natural causes, such as illness, is reportedly the same as such deaths among the population outside of lockup facilities. The fact that more complaints are made regarding medical care every year than any other type of complaint against Texas county jails seems inconsistent with those statistics.

Inmates have a right to receive necessary medical care while behind bars. There are some challenges in connection with discovering whether jails are meeting minimum jail standards regarding medical care. One medical issue involving measurable behaviors that inspectors can delve into, however, involves the distribution of prescriptions. The following is the rule and details that describe alleged non-compliance with TCJS requirements.

RULE §273.2 (7) – Health Services Plan

Part 7 of this rule says that jails must provide procedures detailing the distribution of prescriptions as indicated in written instructions from a physician. A note to a non-compliant jail, per a jail inspection report dated March 3, 2021, said:

• When the Medical Administration Records were reviewed, it was discovered that the records failed to provide information showing that distribution of medications is being handled in accordance with doctors’ written instructions.

See this continuing series for more information.

With the intent of helping prisoners now or formerly incarcerated in Texas county jails, posts are provided on this website. There is never an intention to infer on this site that individuals or organizations have participated in improprieties of any kind.

–Guest Contributor