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Jail deaths implicate state oversight, competency restoration funding

Having referenced recent media coverage of an untimely in-custody death in Longview of a woman jailed for traffic tickets, I should mention several notable stories about jail deaths out of Dallas, Houston and Corpus Christi. In Dallas, a homeless man died after he:became increasingly sick behind bars and was mostly cared for by inmates, according to a Sheriff's Department investigation. The inmates said they called officers for help as Morris' condition worsened but that no one came. Minutes before Morris was found not breathing, two jail guards walked by and saw him lying on the concrete floor but took no action, sheriff's reports show.One of the officers who walked past him on the floor, reported Kevin Krause of the Dallas News, told investigators, "We decided not to wake him, as lying on the floor must have felt good to him, as the concrete was cool...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on February 14, 2011 (boomark / email).