Heather Renee Rodriguez was incarcerated in Kerry County Jail in Kerrville, Texas, on March 11, 2021. She was discovered not breathing, unresponsive, and with no pulse just after the noon hour on March 16, 2021, and was pronounced dead that night. According to results from the medical examiner dated July 8, 2021, Ms. Rodriguez’s cause of death was Chronic Seizure Disorder (Epilepsy).

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has requirements regarding the booking process for county jail prisoners. Part of the purpose of the process is to determine which inmates have special needs. Prescriptions are among those needs. The Texas Administration Code specifies that all medical instructions made by designated physicians must be followed. The following are details regarding the handling of prescriptions and more, per the Texas Administrative Code.

RULE §273.2 – Health Services Plan

In Rule §273.2 (6) and (7) under Health Services Plan, instructions regarding prescriptions are covered. In Part 6, it says that procedures must be established and implemented with regard to the control, distribution, inventory, secured storage, and disposal of prescriptions. Part 7 indicates that prescriptions must be distributed according to instructions written by a physician by an appropriate person who is designated by the sheriff or jail operator. 

Part 3 of the rule says that when an inmate is in an emergency or acute situation, their needs must be met with prompt, efficient care.

Learn more in this ongoing series. 

This website does not intend to make an inference of wrongdoing on the part of persons or institutions. The posts here are provided as helpful resources for county jail inmates in Texas.

–Guest Contributor