A jail inmate begged for medical help repeatedly for days, but his pleas were allegedly ignored by the jail’s nurse and staff. A surveillance video captured his cries for help. The inmate was finally transported to a hospital after he was found unconscious. He died and the medical examiner said pneumonia and sepsis were the causes of death.

Several fellow inmates said that they heard the man continually being denied the help he begged for. Inmates reportedly talked staff members into calling paramedics, but the jail staff informed the medical team that the inmate was faking illness as a way of bonding out and, as a result, may not have received proper care. Eventually, the inmate was moved to a solitary confinement cell.

An investigation into the custodial death found that the inmate had been in good health when he was booked into jail. He died less than two weeks later; and the video, which was made public, captures his voice crying for help. At one point, a former jailer is heard telling the inmate that emergency services would not be contacted because they had done that already “the other day” and found nothing.

The Texas Commission of Jail Standards (TCJS) provides minimum standards that jail staff have a duty to uphold. Each jail facility must have and implement a written and TCJS-approved plan for inmate medical services. These services must provide procedures for:

• Regularly scheduled sick calls;
• Referral for medical services;
• Efficient and prompt care for emergency and acute situations;
• All procedures, such as examination and treatments, to be performed in a reasonable and dignified manner and location; and
• Jail inmates must have access to a health professional through a telehealth service or at the jail 24 hours per day.

The purpose of this post is to provide information and not to make any assertions or allegations that any specific individuals engaged in misconduct or behaved in an inappropriate manner.

–Guest Contributor