Abilene – The Taylor County, Texas Sheriff Explains that Inmates Have a Duty to Speak up About Medical Needs
Ricky Bishop, Taylor County Sheriff, made a statement on August 23, 2017, in response to public alarm about two lawsuits filed against Taylor County Jail in Abilene, Texas, within one year. Both lawsuits claim that inmates who died in custody allegedly needed medical attention but were denied. Cynthia Cortez and Amanda Scott both supposedly died while inmates at Taylor County Jail and both had allegedly consumed an overdose of methamphetamines as they were being approached by law enforcement officers. The two lawsuits both claim that the jail staff failed to follow appropriate protocol that would have saved the lives of the women. Bishop basically said that inmates have many different opportunities to convey their medical needs. He also said that anyone who consumes that much of a concentration of meth is going to die; it is inevitable, he said. He also explained that jail staff are trained to watch for various conditions inmates might be in, based on their behavior. He claims that staff protocol is to do all they can to protect people from harm.
According to Bishop, inmates who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs are placed in cells for detoxification. Inmates who appear suicidal are placed on special 30-minute watch.
Investigators found that four deaths have occurred at the Taylor County Jail in the past four years. Bishop said that it is not common for drug-related deaths to occur in the jail but that they occur sporadically and jail staff are trained to recognize when inmates are at risk due to drugs.
As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.
–Guest Contributor
smchugh
smchugh