Brutal Heat Killed 14 in Texas Prisons
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas (CN) - Fourteen people have died of heat stroke in Texas prisons since 2007, needless deaths the state could prevent with a few air-conditioners, a grieving mother claims in court.
Ramona Hinojosa, mother of the late Albert Hinojosa, sued the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, its executive director Brad Livingston, the University of Texas Medical Branch, and five other TDCJ officials in Federal Court.
UTMB provides health care to 80 percent of Texas prisoners under a partnership with the state.
Hinojosa died in the state's Garza West Unit in Beeville, where the windows are sealed shut and the "prison housing areas are like an oven," Ramona Hinojosa says in the lawsuit.
But the warden and other officials keep their offices in the prison cooled to a comfortable 75 degrees, she says.
"On August 29, 2012, shortly after midnight, a prisoner told an officer working in Hinojosa's dorm that he fell out his bed and was suffering convulsions," the complaint states.
http://www.courthousenews.com/2013/10/18/62138.htm
= new reply since forum marked as read
Especially if you're poor, or a minority, had prior arrests, or a young male with a family that isn't wealthy enough to get you a good lawyer.
Here's an example of a Texas prisoner -
Laz's step-brother in law (let's call him "M"
is in the Texas State prison system again on the last year of a 2.5 year sentence.
Around two years ago, M got into an altercation with his boss over a promised (and expected) raise - no injuries, just a lot of yelling and cussing and a chair was broken - misdemeanor assault, in most places. But, since he had been in prison for drugs and a burglary charge four years ago, and step-mom was "encouraged" to practice "tough love" on a 27 year old with mental health that needs, at most, a halfway house and anger management counseling, and left him in the public defender's hands, he's right back in cooling his heels. (Or not, as prisons in Texas are focused on punishment and providing cheap, disposable labor and government subsidies - not for rehabilitation, so he doesn't have air conditioning available to him either...)
2.5 years for Felony assault. He "broke company equipment", and his boss felt "threatened", even though he was giving M the "You're such a f*-up" chew-out to force M to quit or say something to get fired, from what M's co-workers told M's brother.
See, instigating M into action that would land him in prison for assault is even better than firing, because then no-one would think you're a shitty employer.
Get pissed at your crap-bag of a boss, go to prison and die of heat stroke. That's the ticket.
See, the upshot is that state of Texas doesn't need someone like "M" walking around; he's bi-polar, without health insurance, and used to (probably still did) self-medicate with weed, alcohol, and speed, and can't keep down any of the low-wage jobs available to him and other "spare" workers. (Spare workers are the majority of workers that are too old, low-skilled, inexperienced, HS level education, no networking opportunities, or not extremely driven/competitive in nature...)
Prison is how a lot of states handle high unemployment issues and mental health issues - warehousing instead of jobs programs and treatment facilities.
Haele
