Among the custodial deaths revealed during the expansive study on U.S. jails was the death by overdose of a 30-year-old inmate. Ninety minutes after being booked into a county jail, the woman “went quiet.” Cellmates called for assistance as the 30-year-old quietly twitched. At that point, the inmate said that, before being booked into jail, she had been using an anti-anxiety drug as well as methamphetamine.

The inmate could not walk on her own, jail video reveals. She was moved by jailers to an isolation cell, where she was left on the floor, and she was still visibly twitching. Over the next two hours, the woman was still twitching and unresponsive on the floor as medical staff periodically checked on her. During one of the isolation cell checks, the medical professional could not find a pulse. The inmate died from an accidental overdose. Her family has pointed out the fact that the drugs’ effects could have been reversed if she had received prompt care.

In that case, as well as others previously shared in this series, jailers and jail officials denied any wrongdoing. In this particular case, the company in charge of inmate health care also claimed there was no misconduct.

See Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, and continuing installments.

This website purposes to serve as an informational resource. There is never an intention on this website to make an inference of any kind that an organization or person has been involved in any kind of misconduct.

–Guest Contributor