Justin Lee Geelan was booked into Johnson County Jail in Cleburne, Texas, on February 10, 2021. He suffered a medical issue on March 18, 2021, and died that day. Official autopsy results are pending but the preliminary cause of death indicates that he died of natural causes.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) sets the guidelines for minimum jail standards by which every county jail in the state must operate. Inmates are to be provided with needed medical, mental, and dental care while they are incarcerated. TCJS  reports that the most complaints against county jails, by far, are in connection with medical care.

The enforcement of minimum jail standards is primarily achieved through jail inspections. Every county jail in the state is inspected annually. Per review of numerous jail inspection reports, non-compliance in the area of medical care for inmates is only reflected in a few areas, such as the distribution of prescriptions. Denial of requested medical attention does not seem to be a matter that is documented in a way that allows inspectors to learn of such incidents.

Many times, it has only been after the death of an inmate that details emerged showing that jail staff members, for instance, showed indifference to the suffering of the inmates prior to their deaths.

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There is never an intention on this website to imply that any individual or organization has been a participant in wrongdoings. The goal in adding posts to this website is to help inmates now or previously jailed in a Texas county jail.

–Guest Contributor