According to the Dallas Morning News ("Jail treads water in efforts to curb staph infections," Jan 25), 250 inmates per month in the Dallas County Jail acquire staph infections (along with 20-30 county employees each year). That means 3.4% of Dallas jail inmates contract staph infections each month.
Wow. For every month spent in the Dallas County Jail, you're more likely to get a staph infection than you are to hit "snake eyes" when playing craps in a Vegas casino (~2.77% chance). Wanna roll the dice?
For more on healthcare in the Dallas County jail see this article from the Dallas Observer in September.
UPDATE: Via the Scoop, to be fair, apparently things aren't much better in Fort Worth at the Tarrant County Jail.
My son has been in the Lew Sterrett jail since 11-7-06 and have sent in several request to see a dentist. I contacted them on the 11th of Dec.06 and spoke with a Sgt. and he checked into the problem had him seen and was told he would be going to Parkland to get work done by the 18th of Dec.06 still no Parkland visit request go unanswered pleas go unheard and there was a man in the same tank with TB and coughing blood had been in there among other inmates for over a month. Staph infection someone comes down with it every day say it is so nasty in there the guards were plastic gloves when they enter the cells. For everyday of I pray hard that my son does not get infected with some of the germs that goes on. Upset and don't know where to turn. I have called and called stay on hold for 45minutes to a hour and then still no results went down there to the North Tower spoke with a guard on the 11th of Jan.07 about son teeth requested to see someone in charge but a guard by the name tag of Ms.Boyd refused to get me someone. Please help in this matter.
ReplyDeleteMy brother is in a Texas prison in Lamesa. He has continually had staph infections. It gets so bad before they treat it that they basically have to cut huge chucks of his flesh out by the time he gets treatment. He will get high fever and become delirious with pain and infection. It is an awful "dirty little secret" in prison.
ReplyDeleteNot to be a dick, but uhm.....its JAIL.
ReplyDeleteIts unfortunate that innocent people get caught up in that whole mess but the conditions within U.S. prisons are still some of the best out there when compared to other parts of the world
The biggest and most dangerous behavior/issue I see in U.S. prisons is the amount of indifference the staff has there for the inmates. Granted, taxpayers arent going to foot a guard's payroll just so he can run back and forth 40 times a day attending to the first inmate to bang on his cell door.
Its jail guys, pure and simple. Its not the Marriott and people of all shapes, and colors are going to get put in there and unfortunately this is going to lead to disease, crime etc etc.
Ummmm,
ReplyDeleteyou are being a dick.
The US has over 1.2 million non violent drug offenders locked up.
So you think because some smokes pot or uses a controlled substance that they deserve to be treated like an animal.
Considering that our tax dollars pays prisons over 50K per inmate a year and those prisons are no privately subsidized and then traded on wall street you would think they could at least be cleaned.
Who cares what any of these degenerates have, give or will get while they are incarcerated for committing crimes. Maybe you should have raised a decent human being. Your sons and daughters deserve whatever happens to them. I do; however, care if the victims of their crimes get ill.
ReplyDeleteLew Sterett has nothing on the Boyd Unit in Teague. My brother, William Harrison, 864645, likes to sit on the cement floor of his cell to avoid the 106 to 110 degree heat---he says the top bunk is like a sauna. Well, in the tradition of TDCJ iron discipline guard Melvis Sanford cited him for refusing to return to his bunk. I am giving my brother's letter to my retired friends overseas--it is up to them as to whether they will continue providing voluntary information to Texas law enforcement agencies. My friends tell me that there is an ever growing Middle Eastern presence in Central and South America....
ReplyDeletethis is to the person whose August 7th entry said "you should have raised a decent human being". Briefly put, I hope you succumb after a long bout with bone cancer. Parents these days are up against variables such as drugs in schools that make their job difficult at best. During my visits to my relative in prison I have learned that a HIGH percentage of inmates are retarded---many do not even know why they are there! Do you think they will come out wiser? This is the tragedy of TDCJ. When you ask a 50 year old man why he is there and he says "I was bad" and then you ask him what he did and he says "I don't know" and starts crying in front of the entire visitation center you wonder who the real criminals are. My fingers are crossed, if this country should ever have another 9/11 I know what state I want it to be in.
ReplyDeleteOnce again, to post #7, the vast majority of inmates, I believe, come from homes that didn't do their job as a parent. The majority of inmates are not mentally retarded people. Those, of course, are a tragedy; however, their victims suffer no less because they did not know what they were doing. There again, someone in charge, ie. parent, care taker, etc. should have been watching their activities. Bone cancer is a horrible thing to wish on anyone. My brother actually died of the same, at age 15. You will never have to worry, when my children are around you, as they are (were raised to be) wonderful, caring, giving people. They value life and the property of others. They will pass these values on to their children as well. I'm sure you have passed on your hatred to your offspring. When a child has seen his/her parent wish death on others, he/she feels the same, usually. Reality is that your family will more than likely suffer a tragedy because of your own, and probably your family's, moral compass. When you wish evil on others, it offen comes back. Not by some karhma or God but because of the choices you have made.
ReplyDeleteto anonymous 12:49
ReplyDeleteYes, I am retired and living quite comfortably thank you. I made good choices, number 1 being I don't live in Texas. Single, never married, no kids. You talk about parents that didn't do their jobs. BS! The children of the rich commit the same crimes as those of the poor and you don't see their families in these blogs because they walk free, or at the very least, serve minimal sentences. I served overseas to safeguard the interests of people like you and I now see that I made at least one mistake in my life. You are a good representative of the Texas public--and as for making good choices--I will think of you and your ilk during my next vacation in Latin America. You live in Texas---that by itself shows the wisdom behind your moralizing.
True enough! The moronic Bible thumpers like to harp and carp about evil criminals but you don't see any of these "god's children" talking about how the sons and daughters of Texas's insanely rich getting a free pass out the back door of the courthouse while those without money get incredible sentences. Okay Bible wavers, tell me how wrong I am!! All of you need to slowly burn and you know that I speak the truth.....
ReplyDeleteMost dangerous behavior/issue I see in U.S. prisons is the amount of indifference the staff has there for the inmates. Granted, taxpayers arent going to foot a guard's payroll just so he can run back and forth 40 times a day attending to the first inmate to bang on his cell door..Casinos Online
ReplyDeleteConsidering that our tax dollars pays prisons over 50K per inmate a year and those prisons are no privately subsidized and then traded on wall street you would think they could at least be cleaned..Casinos Online
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Wow...incredible lake of compassion for the inmates for some of you. My 17 yr old cousin was put in Lew Sterett even though she was innocent. She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Those of you that pass judgement should thank your lucky stars that you have not wound up there. It is pure hell and completely disgusting. She and her inmates were not given water or food for 3 days. I am appalled.
ReplyDeleteIF YOU PEOPLE REMEMBER THAT WAS ABOUT THE TIME LAURA MILLER WAS BEAUTIFYING DALLAS THIS IS ALSO ABOUT THE TIME THE JAIL WENT INTO THE RED THIS IS WERE THE MONEY WENT THAT WES SUPPOSED TO BE TAKEING CARE OF THESE PEOPLE I HAD A FREIND THAT WAS IN STERRET ABOUT THAT TIME 180 DAYS REMEMBER ABOUT THE COMPUTER GLITCH LOOSING EVERYONE YEA HE WAS IN THER 2 WEEKS LONGER THAN THAT THIS MAN IS WHITE THEY HAD HIM CONFUSED WITH A BLACK MAN ONLY BECAUSE THE NAMES WER SIMLER HELL MAN IF THATS NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE YOU START DRINKING I DONT NO WHAT IS AND THEY HAVE AN EXTREMLEY LAZY STAFF NO WANTS TO DO THERE JOB ANYMORE GET THERE 8 GO HOME GET THER CHECK ON PAYDAY AND START ALL OVER THE FOLLOWING WEEK MIND YOU IM NOT TALKING ABOUT THE POLICE ITS THE INHOUSE PEOPLE VERY LAZY. THANKS LAURA MILLER FINE JOB
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