Is Jail Neglect a Widespread Problem in Texas?-Pt.11
The Texas Senate Passes a Bill to Eliminate the Requirement to Investigate all County Jail Deaths Continued
The concern with Senate Bill 1896 is that, if it becomes law, it will allow jails in Texas to escape accountability for cases of medical neglect. Going to jail does not deprive individuals of the right to necessary medical care, and it makes sense that this matter is one that should be properly monitored. It should not be the case, but, for many detainees in Texas, being arrested and placed in a county or municipal jail became a death sentence.
Medical care in local jails is already an ongoing concern because most of the complaints about the facilities are related to medical care, according to annual reports from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). Jail inspection reports citing jails for noncompliance make it obvious that jail procedures do not ensure that detainees are receiving appropriate medical treatment.
In the Texas Administrative Code, Title 37 covers Public Safety and Corrections, and Part 9 covers the TCJS rules regarding health services in Chapter 273. When jails are cited for a failure to comply with rules in this chapter, few insights are provided regarding whether detainees receive healthcare.
Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, and Part 10 of this continuing series.
Providing municipal and county jail detainees in Texas with helpful resources is one of this website’s purposes. Suggesting that a person or entity has engaged in wrongdoing is never intended.
–Guest Contributor
smchugh
smchugh