Category: County Jails|Custodial Death|Jail Medical Care Lawyer|Medical Care|Outside Texas|Sepsis

The Webb County Sheriff’s Office filed a custodial death report (CDR) on Christopher Torres-Garcia on April 21, 2022. It specifies that the 34-year-old inmate died from sepsis due to drug injection sites that had become infected. It also shows that the inmate received medical treatment between the time he entered the Laredo, Texas, jail and the day he died, which was a week later on December 8, 2021.

127 of 195 Inmates in a State’s County Jails Outside Texas Die of Medical Causes

A watchdog group reported that in a county jail outside of Texas, a 36-year-old inmate died within a month of arriving at the jail. His cause of death, allegedly, was a treatable variety of meningitis. An investigation that followed the fatality revealed that people in county jails of that state frequently suffer from dire medical conditions, that they are routinely ignored, and the consequences are often fatal.

The report also suggests that there is little to no oversight regarding healthcare for inmates. They say that neither the for-profit health care companies nor the sheriffs in that state are held responsible for questionable circumstances surrounding many of the inmates’ deaths.

Statistics revealed in the exposé show that of 195 inmates who died in that state’s county jails in a recent 10-year-period, 127 of them died of medical causes. Sepsis, heart disease, and drug overdose were among the medical causes of inmate deaths.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this continuing series.

Speculating that persons or institutions have been participants in misdeeds is never intended on this website. The goal of posts added to this site is to provide help to inmates in Texas county jails, whether they are now in jail or were previously incarcerated.

–Guest Contributor

Two County Jail Inmates Die of Sepsis

Investigative reporters uncovered a tragic and disturbing story about denial of medical care in a county jail outside Texas. A 37-year-old inmate, a father of five, wrote a note asking for help. He said, “I am very sick.” While in the jail, however, he was never seen by a physician. He later died and was found in his cell in a pool of vomit and blood. According to the autopsy, the man died of sepsis caused by a severe case of pneumonia that nearly doubled the weight of his left lung due to infection.

In another news report about a custodial death resulting from sepsis, horrific details have come to light through jail videos. The 26-year-old inmate was in jail for only 12 days before his death. Videos from the jail show that the man begged repeatedly for medical attention but was denied medical care. Officers laughed at him and ignored his pleas. The nurse at the jail went to the man’s cell and did not believe he was ill. She also ignored the man’s cries for medical help. Ultimately, the county jail inmate died from sepsis and pneumonia.

Sepsis is Common in Correctional Facilities

Sepsis is a serious condition that very quickly can lead to permanent harm or death. An infection that enters into the bloodstream, sepsis must be detected and treated immediately to avoid tragic consequences. This serious condition is common in settings where medical professionals fail to diagnose, treat, or monitor a person’s condition.

See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this ongoing series.

There is never an intention to imply on this website that persons or organizations engaged in wrongdoing. Each blog post is intended as a resource potentially helpful to prisoners held in Texas county jails.

–Guest Contributor