In 2013, diabetic Kory Dane Wilson died after he was allegedly denied medical care in the McClain County Jail in Purcell, Oklahoma. In 2017, a settlement was reached in a lawsuit filed by Wilson’s estate. According to court records, county commissioners agreed to pay $750,000. The settlement was agreed to after a former jail administrator admitted guilt in violating the rights of the inmate. He said that he was advised of Wilson’s medical condition and failed to provide needed medical assistance. The jail administrator was sentenced to 51 months in a federal prison.
Records show that when Wilson was booked into McClain County Jail, he informed the jailers that he had Type 1 diabetes and needed insulin. A federal investigation allegedly found that he never received any medication at the jail, nor did he ever see a doctor. On the fourth day of his incarceration, Wilson was discovered unresponsive in his cell. He died two days later, having never regained consciousness. An autopsy showed that the cause of death was diabetic ketoacidosis.
Jails have a responsibility to prevent custodial deaths, if at all possible, by meeting basic needs. Providing medical assistance, daily meals, and stricter supervision for inmates at risk for suicide are basic duties. When jail standards are neglected, inmates can suffer harm. This exposes a county to litigation, when the result is injury or death.
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