Helen Renee Jackson Dies After Incarceration in Denton County, Texas Jail

The Denton County Sheriff’s Office, in Denton, Texas filed a report with the Attorney General of Texas regarding the death of Helen Renee Jackson. Ms. Jackson was 53 years old at the time of her death. We provide information in this post we obtained from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.

The report indicates that Ms. Jackson was originally incarcerated in the Denton County, Texas jail on November 17, 2021. The summary portion of the reports reads in its entirety:

“On 11-17-2021, Inmate Helen Jackson was booked into the Denton County Jail for FTA – Violation of a Protective Order and for a 17.16 Assault – Family Violence. On 12-28-2021, the inmate had been seen by medical staff multiple times and cleared to remain in Pod-8. The inmate continued to disrupt the Pod and was subsequently removed via wheel chair and brought to Holding Cell -1 in Main Jail for observation. Correctional Health staff and Detention staff continued monitoring her vitals signs, and time checks and visual checks every 30 minutes or less. About eight minutes after the last medical check, Corporal Brendan Greenwell observed the inmate as non-responsive and called for a medical emergency. The Denton Fire EMS was notified and responded. The inmate appeared to go into cardiac arrest and CPR was begun. Inmate Jackson was transported to the hospital, where she was pronounced deceased. An autopsy was ordered to be conducted at the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office. The investigation has been turned over to Texas Ranger Jeremy Wallace.”

While our Texas jail neglect and abuse law firm does not personally have specific information regarding what occurred in the jail, news reports seem to indicate that perhaps Ms. Jackson was not observed as required. Moreover, it is difficult at best to determine from the short summary in the report as to whether personnel at the Denton County jail were deliberately indifferent to Ms. Jackson’s known medical needs.

The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right of those in our Texas county jails to receive reasonable medical care. If jailers or medical personnel at a jail are deliberately indifferent to, or act in an objectively unreasonable manner regarding, such medical needs, and a person dies as a result, then the law allows certain family members to file a lawsuit. Our firm typically files such suits in federal court, due to the fact that they arise under federal law.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.