TX -TDCJ Brutal Guards

Senator John Whitmire, Chair
Senate Committee on Criminal Justice
CAP 1E.13

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0115

District Address:
803 Yale Street
Houston, TX 77007
District Phone: (713) 864-8701

And

Representative Jerry Madden, Chair
Committee on Corrections
District: 67
Capitol Office: CAP GN.7

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0544

District Address:
P. O. Box 940844
Plano, TX 75074
District Phone: (972) 424-2235

And

Texas Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Joint Chairman Texas Legislative Council
The Capitol
Austin, Texas 78711-2068
1-512-463-0001
Fax:1-512-936-6700

As a Citizen of The United States of American and Texas, I am appalled that Mr. Larry Cox was forced to endure the cruel and unusual punishment of Medical Neglect in the Texas Department of Criminal Justice aka TDCJ, after the guards worked him over, resulting in his horrible painful death. It is not like the Legislators of Texas are not aware of what has been going on for many years with the Medical Concerns in TDCJ. Most certain uncountable amounts of complaints have been sent to TDCJ Prison Authorities, to Texas Legislators including Lt. Governor David Dewhurst, Attorney General Abbott concerning the brutality of the guards and neglect of medical care by University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMP). The Taxpaying Citizens of Texas provides millions of dollars every year to pay for medical care for the Texas Inmates.

If you recall, the several part article by Austin Statesman Journalist Ward, wrote a few years ago called, “SICK in SECRET.” This series of articles were revealing the medical neglect of the Texas Prisoners. This should have been a “Wake Up Call” creating immediate action by the Legislators in Texas for major changes or not renew a contract with UTMP.

Mr. Cox’s death, sad to say, is just the tip of the iceberg as to many other deaths happening in TDCJ being covered up. No matter how much the Love Ones of Inmates “holler” about what is going on, no one pays attention until the court system receives a lawsuit.

There is no excuse for a death of an Inmate at the hands of a guard or medical staff. No shortage of any staff is an acceptable reason for harm or death to come to a Texas Inmate. The major responsibility, and job descriptions of the Prison System, is to keep and protect the Inmates. Read the TDCJ Motto. This is not happening and does not happen.

As a voting Texans, I remember just a few short months ago how a vote was passed to build three (3) more prisons. Why, when Texas cannot supply the needed guards, the proper medical care, proper living conditions for the Inmates, and properly maintained and repaired the facilities? I am asking the Legislators of Texas “NOT” to build any more prison until they “reform” what is already here, fix and repair the broken down units, improve what is already here, provide proper medical care, not just the bare necessities.

As a VOTING, TAXPAYING Citizen of Texas, I am requesting that immediate action for change be made. That the employees that work for TDCJ understand if they are a party to and/or has knowledge of wrong doings and fail to report the wrongs, they will be brought into criminal court with charges of criminal activities being filed.

The brutality in the State of Texas Correction Facilities is a MAJOR problem that has been allowed to be covered up for many years. Now is the time for it to be stopped. At all cost, expose the wrongs of the State of Texas employees that work for any of the Correctional Systems in Texas and remove, replace, incarcerate, eliminate them.

Sincerely,
(name)
(address)
(phone)
(email)

cc:
Members:
Vice Chair: Sen. Kel Seliger, Vice Chair
District: 31
Capitol Office: EXT E1.608

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0131

District Address:
P.O. Box 9155
Amarillo, TX 79105
District Phone: (806) 374-8994

Members:
Sen. John Carona
District: 16
Capitol Office: CAP 4E.2

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0116

District Address:
8080 N. Central Expy., Suite1440, LB 44
Dallas, TX 75206
District Phone: (214) 378-5751

Sen. Bob Deuell
District: 2
Capitol Office: EXT E1.706

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0102

District Address:
18601 LBJ Freeway, Ste. 400
Mesquite, TX 75150
District Phone: (972) 279-1800

Sen. Rodney Ellis
District: 13
Capitol Office: CAP 3E.6

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0113

District Address:
440 Louisiana, Suite 575
Houston, TX 77002
District Phone: (713) 236-0306

Sen. Glenn Hegar
District: 18
Capitol Office: EXT E1.808

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0118

District Address:
P.O. Box 1008
Katy, TX 77492
District Phone: (281) 391-8883

Sen. Juan Hinojosa
District: 20
Capitol Office: CAP 3E.12

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 12068, Capitol Station
Austin, TX 78711
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0120

District Address:
612 Nolana, Suite 410 B
McAllen, TX 78504
District Phone: (956) 972-1841

Vice Chair: Rep. Scott Hochberg
District: 137
Capitol Office: CAP 4N.8

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0492

District Address:
7011 Harwin, Suite 230
Houston, TX 77036 District Phone: (832) 252-7336

Budget & Oversight Chair:
Rep. Jim McReynolds
District: 12
Capitol Office: CAP GS.6

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0490

District Address:
203 South First, Suite A
Lufkin, TX 75904
District Phone: (936) 634-9786

Members:
Rep. Jim Dunnam
District: 57
Capitol Office: CAP GN.11

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0508

District Address:
713 Elm St., Suite 101
Waco, TX 76704
District Phone: (254) 753-8546

Rep. Pat Haggerty
District: 78
Capitol Office: CAP 4N.9

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0728

District Address:
5764 North Mesa
El Paso, TX 79912
District Phone: (915) 532-1391

Rep. Delwin Jones
District: 83
Capitol Office: CAP 3S.2

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0542

District Address:
5609-A Villa Drive
Lubbock, TX 79412
District Phone: (806) 763-4468

Rep. Rene Oliveira
District: 37
Capitol Office: CAP 4N.10

Capitol Address:
P.O. Box 2910
Austin, TX 78768
Capitol Phone: (512) 463-0640

District Address:
855 West Price Road, Suite 22
Brownsville, TX 78520
District Phone: (956) 542-1828

Friday, Jan 25, 2008
Posted on Thu, Jan. 24, 2008

Panel mulls neglected prisoner's death

Prison medical staff shortages led to conditions that allowed an inmate with a broken back to lay in his own filth for two days before dying in a hospital, a state lawmaker said in a hearing into the death on Thursday.

Larry Louis Cox, 48, died Feb. 6, 2007, after being transferred from the high-security section at the Estelle Unit of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to a prison hospital in Galveston, where doctors found he had three broken vertebrae and a spinal fracture. Prison officials believe Cox suffered the injuries two weeks before his death during a scuffle with guards in which Cox hit his head on a bunk and storage locker.

Prison officials said Cox was given a CT scan at a Huntsville hospital, but it revealed only a broken nose. They think his spinal injuries may have been overlooked, and that Cox may have aggravated those injuries during the next two days.

Before he was hospitalized, Cox told guards he was having trouble moving. He was given Tylenol because the prison clinic was closed for the night.

The following morning, he was given two prescription drugs and returned to his cell. He was unable to take more medication because of his mobility problems, and a patient care assistant recorded that as a refusal to take medication.

A guard worried about Cox's condition violated policy and contacted his stepmother, a nurse at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, which handles prisoner health care. She arranged for a nurse from another prison to examine Cox. That nurse found Cox badly injured, lying on the floor in his own excrement, and had him transferred to Galveston.

The Galveston County Medical Examiner's Office ruled Cox's death a homicide caused by medical neglect after he suffered blunt force trauma. No one has been prosecuted in the case and officials still disagree over who to blame.

State Sen. John Whitmire, chairman of the Senate Criminal Justice Committee, said at a hearing about the case on Thursday that a shortage of medical staff was largely to blame. "The Legislature passes the budget and makes policy. I think the shortage of personnel played a critical role," Whitmire said. John Moriarty, the prison system's inspector general, said guards were not to blame, but that prison medical staff could have done better. "It's my firm belief we got to the bottom of what happened," he said, pointing at a lack of proper medical response within the prison. Moriarty said investigators came to the "collective conclusion ... we had criminally negligent homicide. That's why we moved forward." "The individual had deteriorated so bad," he said. "Somebody should have done something."

But Capt. Antonio Leal, a Texas Ranger assigned to examine the case after Whitmire demanded an investigation, disagreed with Moriarty's assessment. "Looking for somebody to indict in this deal, it's not here, Senator," Leal said. "There is no one criminally responsible for this man's death. This is just one of those circumstances where everything that could have gone wrong did go wrong... Inmates every day play the system, but no one deserved to die like this."

Ben Raimer, the head of correctional managed health care at UTMB defended prison medical staff. He said there was a 50 percent shortage of physicians working in the prison system, an 18 percent shortage of medical practitioners and an 18 percent vacancy rate for nurses. He said the Cox case had been "reviewed and reviewed and reviewed" and that disciplinary action had been taken against some of those involved "but we're not sure they did anything wrong."

Cox was sentenced in 1990 to 20 years in prison for burglary with intent to commit sexual assault. He sentenced to another 15 years for murder in 1998 for killing his cellmate at the Stiles Unit in Beaumont.

Please visit People Against Prison Abuse aka PAPA website link: http://peopleagainstprisonabuse.com/articlesstories/larrycox.html