Continuing from Part 4 of this series, the following were the notes of the inspector for the Texas Commission for Jail Standards (TCJS):

• Documentation reviewed after a custodial death revealed that while insulin was reviewed, ordered, and provided while the inmate was in intake, it was not reviewed, ordered, and provided once the inmate was housed.

Rule §273.3~Health Instructions

The jail was also non-compliant with Rule §273.3~Health Instructions, which states that all medical instructions of designated physicians shall be followed. Inspector’s notes follow:

• Documentation reviewed after a custodial death revealed that daily orders were written for the inmate to receive KOP (Keep On Person) blood pressure medication, however, this order was not filled nor was this medication provided once the inmate was housed.

The jail where this inmate died of diabetic ketoacidosis sent a corrective action plan to the state in January. They would “begin an internal audit” to ensure that inmates are being distributed their medication within 48 hours” after the order is filed and approved. According to the action plan, the audits are sent to the county sheriff’s office on a weekly basis.

The inmate who died of DKA was one of 27 in the county jail who died last year. It was the highest number of deaths at that facility in nearly 20 years.

Learn what the note from the inspector said about this rule violation. Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this continuing series.

Helping inmates now or previously detained in a municipal or county jail in Texas is one of the purposes of this website. There is never any intention of suggesting that any individual or organization was engaged in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor