The quality of inmate medical care is the number one topic of complaint against county jails in Texas, according to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). Usually, downfalls in connection with medical care seemingly go unnoticed unless an inmate in a Texas jail dies. Families attempt to reveal what happened to their loved one through news outlets.

A Woman with Diabetes is Allegedly Denied Needed Medication

A 55-year-old woman began having medical problems after her arrest and placement in a jail. Neither the guards nor the medical staff at the jail provided the woman with the insulin shots she needed. Instead, they provided her with a different treatment. Unfortunately, the change in medication resulted in her repeatedly experiencing diabetic comas. 

The woman was errantly placed in a psychiatric facility due to her state of non-communication. While there, she was provided with the needed insulin shots. As a result, her health was stabilized. Then she was placed back in the jail, where the insulin shots were again cut off and she began going into comas again. Tragically, the day came when she was discovered unresponsive in her cell and died after another diabetic crisis.

The woman’s family expressed great distress that their loved one did not receive what she needed for her serious medical condition. 

Learn what TCJS requires regarding prescriptions in this ongoing series.

This website has no intention of suggesting that any person or entity is participating in wrongdoing. Helping inmates currently or previously held in a Texas county jail is the purpose of these posts. 

–Guest Contributor