After Jim Hogg County Jail inmate Michael Joseph Tokos was placed in an ambulance outside the Hebbronville, Texas, jail, paramedics employed lifesaving measures. Mr. Tokos was transported to a halo pad, where an air ambulance was awaited. This was on September 19, 2022, the day in which 55 year old Michael Joseph Tokos was later proclaimed deceased.

A Watchdog Group Reveals at Least a Dozen Deaths of Diabetic County Jail Inmates in a County and State Outside Texas

When diabetic individuals are incarcerated, regular access to insulin is crucial. Diabetes is a treatable disease, and providing treatment makes the difference between health and such symptoms as incoherence and uncontrollable vomiting. Providing or denying access to insulin is also a matter of life or death.

In a U.S. state, it has been alleged that at least 60 diabetic inmates have allegedly been denied treatment. In another state, at least a dozen individuals have allegedly died from a condition called “diabetic ketoacidosis.”

What is Diabetic Ketoacidosis?

Diabetic ketoacidosis is a condition that develops when a person’s body does not produce enough insulin. Insulin helps sugar enter the body’s cells, which is important because sugar provides energy to certain tissues, including muscles. When a sufficient amount of insulin is lacking, the body begins breaking down fat as a source of fuel. This results in a detrimental buildup of ketones, which are acids in the bloodstream. When diabetes goes untreated, the ketone buildup can lead to diabetic ketoacidosis, which is a serious complication of diabetes.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this continuing series.

This website seeks to provide resources that can be of help to Texas inmates who are now or have previously been incarcerated in a municipal or county jail in the state. Linking institutions or individuals to purported misdeeds is never intended.

–Guest Contributor