The Family of an Inmate who Died in Prison is Suing TDCJ
Quintero Devale Jones died in the McConnell Unit in Beeville, Texas, on July 31, 2015. There was a heat wave going on at the time, and Jones was allegedly denied access to his asthma inhaler, which he was supposed to keep on his person at all times. The inhaler had been confiscated that morning in a shakedown at the prison, and it had not been returned. The family claims that the obvious dangers of the heat inside the facility along with willful and wanton indifference of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDJC) led to Jones’ death. The parents of Jones and his minor son filed a federal wrongful death suit against TDCJ in early August 2017.
The family points out that one person died from heat stroke in a Texas prison in 2004 and two other inmates died of heat stroke while imprisoned in a Texas facility in 2011. In spite of this known danger of heat-related custodial deaths, the family claims that Jones was ignored when he called for help on the day he died.
Jones’ parents said that they have not only suffered the loss of their son but they have also been extremely distressed over the events leading to his death, including the way his asthma attack was allegedly handled by prison officials.
TDCJ has records which show that 23 inmates have died of heat stroke in the Texas prison system since 1998, and Jones’ death was not among them. According to state officials, 2012 is when the last prison death occurred in a heat-related incident.
U.S. District Judge Keith Ellison of Houston recently ordered TDCJ to provide heat-sensitive inmates at Wallace Pack Unit in Navasota, Texas, with relief from extreme heat. More than 70% of Texas prisons don’t have air conditioning in inmate living areas. Experts testified that temporary cooling of the prison would cost approximately $100,000. TDCJ officials claim that it is not economically feasible. They site various strategies for inmates to be able to stay cool, such as ice water being provided, the option of taking cold showers, and going to air-conditioned respite rooms.
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