Continuing from the last post in this two-part series, after a first BAC test was administered to the inmate, the following events occurred:

• Four hours later, the inmate was provided with two cups of Gatorade.
• About 2.5 hours later, Gatorade was served with evening chow. The inmate did not eat any of the food.
• A few minutes later, the inmate’s blood sugar was checked by a nurse.
• A BAC test was once again administered about 1/2 hour later.

Approximately 5 hours later, the staff became aware of the inmate’s spitting up of blood when he accidentally knocked over the cup of blood. An officer in the control room observed through a surveillance camera that blood was spilled on the floor. The shift sergeant when to the detox cell and found the inmate trying to wipe up the blood. The sergeant called for an ambulance immediately.

Emergency medical services arrived within 20 minutes, and they brought a stretcher into the booking area. The inmate was released from the jail, and he was transported by ambulance to a hospital.

The inmate was released from the jail after only one day, but a deputy from that jail learned about a month later that the inmate had died. The inmate’s custodial death was attributed to the jail where he was arrested on charges of public intoxication, though there was about a three-week gap between the release from jail and the inmate’s death.

See Part 1 of this two-part series.

One of the duties of a jail is to uphold the constitutional rights of inmates. A jail can be sued if an unconstitutional practice, policy, or custom causes a custodial death.

This post is provided for informational purposes, and there is no intention to imply or suggest wrongdoing or misconduct on the part of any individual or institution.

–Guest Contributor