Category: Medical Care

Heather Renee Rodriguez was incarcerated in Kerry County Jail in Kerrville, Texas, on March 11, 2021. She was discovered not breathing, unresponsive, and with no pulse just after the noon hour on March 16, 2021, and was pronounced dead that night. According to results from the medical examiner dated July 8, 2021, Ms. Rodriguez’s cause of death was Chronic Seizure Disorder (Epilepsy).

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has requirements regarding the booking process for county jail prisoners. Part of the purpose of the process is to determine which inmates have special needs. Prescriptions are among those needs. The Texas Administration Code specifies that all medical instructions made by designated physicians must be followed. The following are details regarding the handling of prescriptions and more, per the Texas Administrative Code.

RULE §273.2 – Health Services Plan

In Rule §273.2 (6) and (7) under Health Services Plan, instructions regarding prescriptions are covered. In Part 6, it says that procedures must be established and implemented with regard to the control, distribution, inventory, secured storage, and disposal of prescriptions. Part 7 indicates that prescriptions must be distributed according to instructions written by a physician by an appropriate person who is designated by the sheriff or jail operator. 

Part 3 of the rule says that when an inmate is in an emergency or acute situation, their needs must be met with prompt, efficient care.

Learn more in this ongoing series. 

This website does not intend to make an inference of wrongdoing on the part of persons or institutions. The posts here are provided as helpful resources for county jail inmates in Texas.

–Guest Contributor

The custodial death report filed on Adelaido Adrian Diaz shows the means of his death as “self-inflicted head trauma.” The Pharr Police Department filed the report stating that Mr. Diaz died on April 12, 2021. The official cause of death is pending autopsy results.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has kept approval of restraint chairs in place. Reports from jails and prisons across the nation, meanwhile, show that restraint chair abuses are far too common.

In one jail outside of Texas, a woman claimed that she was a victim of excessive force. Her claim is that she was placed in a restraint chair for 7 hours. After her release from jail, she further claimed that the time spent in the restraint chair caused a flare-up of sickle cell disease, which increased her pain level.

An Alleged Restraint Chair Fatality

In another county jail outside of Texas, a 58-year-old man was incarcerated for a 90-day period. Immediately upon entry into the jail, he suffered a seizure. A physician at the jail prescribed anti-seizure and anti-withdrawal medications and allowed him to be returned to his jail cell. After another seizure, the inmate was taken to a hospital, where he stabilized. During the next six days, the inmate was in an agitated state and experienced hallucinations, confusion, loss of mobility, and incoherent speech.

One morning, after the inmate showed signs of delirium tremens (DTs), jail guards placed him in a restraint chair in the booking area. His total time in the chair was 14 hours, which exceeded the amount of time recommended by the manufacturer. The inmate was only allowed to get out of the restraint chair to eat and visit the infirmary. At one point after getting out of the infirmary, he was again trapped into the restraint chair, where he suffered a heart attack and died.

See Part One and Part Two of this three-part series. 

There is not an intention on this website to imply that any entity or individual is a participant in misdeeds. This website adds posts to help inmates in Texas county jails.

–Guest Contributor

Fifty-five-year-old Adelaido Adrian Diaz was reportedly alone in a jail cell at the Pharr Police Department when he fell back and struck his head on the concrete floor. The cause of the fall was undetermined. Mr. Diaz was transported to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead on April 12th, 2021, a few hours after he fell. 

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) includes directions for using restraints in the health services plans for county jails in Texas. However, the restraints themselves have been recognized as health hazards. For instance, evidence shows that restraint chairs are dangerous and threaten the health of anyone who may be strapped into them in certain circumstances.

It is widely recognized that restraint chairs can create a threat of suffering a pulmonary embolism or deadly blood clots. The danger is heightened if the person suffered physical trauma before being immobilized in the chair. 

Restraint Chair Warnings

Restraint chair manufacturers’ instructions indicate many of the dangers of using the devices. The following are examples of warnings within the manufacturer’s instructions:

• Death or serious injury can occur if the person who straps another individual into the chair has not read or understood the manufacturers’ instructions.
• To prevent injury, remove leg irons and handcuffs as soon as possible
• Restraints can cut off blood circulation.

See Part One and this continuing series. 

There is never an intention on this website to make an implication that a person or entity has been a participant in wrongdoing. Each of the posts on this website is intended as a potentially helpful resource for Texas inmates who are now or were previously detained in a county jail in the state.

–Guest Contributor

Adelaido Adrian Diaz died at age 55 in the custody of the Pharr Police Department. He entered the police holding facility at 12:00 AM on April 12, 2021. The custodial death report on Mr. Diaz shows that he struck his head on the concrete floor for undetermined reasons, suffered a severe head injury, and died that same day at 6:56 AM.

Custodial deaths occur for many different reasons. It is, however, a responsibility of county jails in Texas to follow minimum jail standards that help to protect inmates and meet their needs. Inmates booked into Texas jails often have serious and potentially life-threatening issues before stepping through the doors. From medical problems to addiction and mental health, inmates frequently arrive with special needs.

Guidelines provided by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) show that appropriate care of inmates is foundational. The following is pertinent information under TCJS, Chapter 273 in the Texas Administrative Code.

RULE §273.2 – Health Services Plan

Every county Texas jail must develop and implement an approved plan for health services. The following are among the services that must be provided:

• Medical, dental, and mental health care
• Distribution of prescriptions per written instruction from a doctor
• Long-term and convalescent care necessary for disabled inmates
• Prompt, efficient care necessary for disabled inmates
• Learn more in this ongoing series.

On this website, it is never intended to imply that any persons or entities have engaged in wrongdoing. It is in the hopes of helping a current or former inmate incarcerated in a county jail in Texas that posts are added to this site.

–Guest Contributor

A custodial death report filed on Justin Lee Geelan shows that the 51-year-old man died in the custody of Johnson County Jail in Cleburne, Texas, on March 18th, 2021. The medical examiner indicates on the report the preliminary belief that Mr. Geelan died from Anoxic Brain Death caused by an erratic heart rhythm.

Continuing from the last segment in this three-part series, an alarming number of deaths occurred in a brief period in the county jails in a state outside of Texas.  A report highlighting tragic death after tragic death also points out that the individuals were nearly all jailed on minor charges, such as stealing $5 worth of junk food from a convenience store.

 A 24-year-old prisoner with a history of mental illness was allegedly deprived of food and water during the four-month period before his death. Guards purportedly removed the man’s bedding and clothing. His cell walls were coated with urine and feces. The six-foot-one-inch man weighed about 90 pounds when he died from apparently having starved to death.

Reports on all of these deaths and many more home in on the fact that most who died were presumed innocent and still awaiting trial. In an alarming statistic, researchers discovered that one-third of custodial deaths studied occurred within the first three days of incarceration.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

There is no intention on this website to make an inference of wrongdoing on the part of individuals or entities. The posts added to this site seek to provide helpful resources for the benefit of Texas county jail prisoners.

–Guest Contributor

Fifty-one-year-old Justin Geelan was incarcerated at Johnson County Jail in Cleburne, Texas, beginning on February 10th, 2021. A fellow inmate said that Mr. Geelan was standing and suddenly fell to the floor. Soon after, Mr. Geelan was unresponsive and transported to a hospital, where he died two days later on March 18th, 2021. 

In a county outside of Texas, an 18-year-old woman was arrested on minor charges and was dead 14 hours after being booked into a county jail. The details surrounding her death were originally hidden. As a result of an order to investigate her death, the troubling facts came out.

It was revealed that the woman died of an apparent multiple drug overdose. Investigation results indicate that she was denied medical assistance. Potential treatments that may have saved the woman’s life included administering the drug Naloxone, which counters the effects of methadone. Mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, intubation, CPR, or ventilation were all options in medical care that were denied but could have prevented the woman’s death.

A watchdog group exposed an account in the same state outside of Texas in which a 19-year-old who was incarcerated suffered a cut and died after it became gangrenous. Another inmate died as a direct result of constipation. The bottom line is that county jails in the state had been dismally neglecting inmates who needed medical care. 

A lack of medical care was the cause of numerous custodial deaths listed in a comprehensive report. Learn more in Part One and this continuing series. 

It is not intended on this website to imply that misdeeds have occurred on the part of persons or institutions. Posts are added on this site to help inmates now or formerly jailed in a Texas county lock-up facility.

–Guest Contributor

Justin Lee Geelan was booked into Johnson County Jail in Cleburne, Texas, on February 10, 2021. He suffered a medical issue on March 18, 2021, and died that day. Official autopsy results are pending but the preliminary cause of death indicates that he died of natural causes.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) sets the guidelines for minimum jail standards by which every county jail in the state must operate. Inmates are to be provided with needed medical, mental, and dental care while they are incarcerated. TCJS  reports that the most complaints against county jails, by far, are in connection with medical care.

The enforcement of minimum jail standards is primarily achieved through jail inspections. Every county jail in the state is inspected annually. Per review of numerous jail inspection reports, non-compliance in the area of medical care for inmates is only reflected in a few areas, such as the distribution of prescriptions. Denial of requested medical attention does not seem to be a matter that is documented in a way that allows inspectors to learn of such incidents.

Many times, it has only been after the death of an inmate that details emerged showing that jail staff members, for instance, showed indifference to the suffering of the inmates prior to their deaths.

See this continuing series for more information

There is never an intention on this website to imply that any individual or organization has been a participant in wrongdoings. The goal in adding posts to this website is to help inmates now or previously jailed in a Texas county jail.

–Guest Contributor

Thirty-two-year-old David Salinas died in pre-custodial status with the Houston Police Department. According to a custodial death report prepared by the police department, Mr. Salinas died on July 14, 2021, as a result of a gunshot wound.  Homicide was listed as the cause of death.

Restraint Chairs Continued

Studies have found that restraint chairs increase the risk of suffering potentially fatal blood clots or a pulmonary embolism. The risk is heightened by immobility in the chair that is followed by some type of physical trauma. Unfortunately, force is typically required to place inmates in restraint chairs as they are often in an uncooperative and combative state at the time. 

A watchdog group conducted a six-year study in which restraint chairs are linked to 20 custodial deaths.

 When a person is in a restraint chair, their arms, legs, and torso are immobilized using straps and belts. When an extremely intoxicated person is kept in a restraint chair for an extended period, reports show that they can overdose or develop blood clots and die. An example is cited of a 29-year-old inmate who had been strapped into a restraint chair for 16 hours. He developed a blood clot in his lungs and died.  As a result, that state outside of Texas banned the use of the chair.

Manufacturers of restraint chairs add the following types of warnings to their instruction manuals:

• Take special measures to ensure that restraints do not cut off the circulation to a person’s extremities when they are in the chair.
• Caution: Remove leg irons and handcuffs as soon as possible to prevent injury.
• Caution: When a person exhibits violent behavior, it could be that they are masking hazardous medical conditions. Continuously monitor detainees and provide medical care, as needed.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series to learn more.

There is not an intention on this website to make a suggestion that any person or entity has engaged in misdeeds. Helping inmates incarcerated in Texas county jails is the purpose of posts on this website.

–Guest Contributor

According to a report about the passing of David Salinas, the 32-year-old was shot by an officer with the Houston Police Department in a pre-custodial event in Houston, Texas. Mr. Salinas was pronounced dead on July 14, 2021, shortly after being gunshot.

Restraint Chairs

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) provides guidelines for using restraint chairs. One of the minimum jail standards for Texas county jails is that restraint devices cannot be used for punishment purposes.

Studies reveal that restraint chairs are frequently associated with activities that are not permitted. For instance, in jails across the nation, many inmates have been tased while in a restraint chair.

The interpretation of when it is appropriate to use one of these restrictive devices has been among the related complications. In a jurisdiction outside of Texas, a man was arrested in connection with a sit-in. During the booking process, he refused to speak. Police officers strapped him into a restraint chair, which completely immobilized him. Reports show that a health professional checked on him every 15 minutes as required. He was kept in the chair for 8 hours.

The controversy surrounding this incident was addressed by the police, who explained their reasoning for using the restraint chair in this instance. They said that the chair was not used as punishment in this matter. Same as in Texas, in that particular jurisdiction, restraint chairs are supposed to be used strictly when an inmate is behaving in a manner that can cause injury to himself or others.

According to the police, the man posed a danger to himself because his lack of cooperation included refusal to remove his belt, shoelaces, and other belongings that are not allowed in cells. Placing him in a restraint chair was a safety precaution, police said.

See Part 1 and this ongoing series to learn more.

There is never an intention on this website to suggest that any person or any organization has been a participant in wrongdoing.  Posts are added with the goal of helping inmates currently and formerly incarcerated in jails located in Texas counties.

–Guest Contributor

A custodial death report on 32-year-old David Salinas was filed by the Houston Police Department in Houston, Texas. Mr. Salinas died on July 14, 2021, following a pre-custodial incident. The cause of death, per the medical examiner, was a homicide, which includes justifiable homicide.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) sets guidelines for operations in Texas county jails. Restraints are approved by TCJS in one particular kind of circumstance. A restraint system can be placed on an inmate if his or her behavior is a threat of potential harm to the inmate and/or others. In each incident in which a restraint device is used, the least restrictive device necessary must be chosen to mitigate the situation. For the most extreme cases of potentially harmful behavior, TCJS has determined that it is appropriate to use a restraint chair.

Restraint Chairs

Many jurisdictions in the US have opted to ban the use of restraint chairs because of evidence that emerged regarding the potential for inmates to be harmed and potentially killed. Manufacturers of restraint chairs invariably include detailed information in their instructions indicating the possibility of injury or death in the use of the chair.

Learn more about the hazards associated with restraint chairs in this ongoing series.

 There is never an intention on this website to suggest that people or entities have been participants in wrongs. Each of the posts added to this site is intended as a resource that could help current and previous inmates in county jails in Texas.

–Guest Contributor