The track record of a particular jail in Texas has come under fire for disturbing complaints regarding a failure to provide inmates with proper care. The following are inmate deaths that occurred at that jail, which, after each event, was found to be non-compliant with minimum jail standards:

• For hours, a 20-year-old woman screamed for help after her pleas for insulin were ignored by a nurse. She was a diabetic and, due to lack of insulin, she died on the floor of her jail cell.
• An inmate who suffered from asthma and high blood pressure was pepper-sprayed by guards. Afterward, he screamed that he could not breathe. The following morning, jailers found him on the floor of his jail cell, and he had died.
• A 59-year-old man at the same jail died of a seizure. Later, investigators discovered that observation records had been falsified. The required face-to-face checks of the inmate had not been conducted as indicated on documentation.

To wrap up this series that is primarily focused on jails avoiding scrutiny about custodial deaths, the husband of the woman originally mentioned in Part 1 went to the jail to visit her two days before her death. When he arrived at the jail, he was informed that she was no longer there. Members of the jail staff refused to provide him with information about her whereabouts.

The woman’s husband ultimately called the Sheriff, who informed him that his wife was gravely ill and in the hospital. When the man got to the hospital, the jail guard would not allow him to visit with her or see her. Before the jail guard outside the woman’s room allowed the family to see her, a phone call and a personal visit from the Sheriff was required. Her appearance was a shock to the family members. She was already unresponsive and died within 48 hours.

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 of this seven-part series.

This website purposes to provide assistance to Texas inmates and their families. There is never an intention to imply wrongs on the part of any person or entity.

–Guest Contributor