Saturday, January 26, 2013
Dawson State Jail targeted for closure by, well, everyone
Topping the list of potential Texas prison closures is the Dawson State Jail, a high-rise building on the bank of the Trinity River in downtown Dallas. The Texas Tribune reported this week that more than two dozen organizations signed a letter urging legislators to shutter the facility, citing failures in oversight and provision of healthcare. (UTMB provides actual healthcare services at the unit, but an investigative report last year found that staff "did not follow proper procedures by failing to call for help" in a high-profile death case.) In addition, whereas closing the Central Unit took longer than expected to wind down operations, the contract with Corrections Corporation of America to operate Dawson runs out at the end of this fiscal year. So the budget savings would be both more certain and immediate than closing the century-old, state-run Central Unit. No doubt there are other criteria for judging potential prison closures, but Dawson seems to be a likely candidate by almost any measure.
I had a friend in Dawson for a few months a while back. She had serious problems with lack of healthcare while there, and said that the problems were widespread. People with obvious infections treated with "take two ibuprofen and quit complaining."
ReplyDeleteHealthcare is always a convenient whipping boy since "patient confidentiality" rules make it difficult to respond with the truth in a timely fashion. That being said, I also know of no one who thinks Dawson should be kept open.
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ReplyDeleteDid this "friend" get routine medical care/prevention before committing a crime and getting sentenced to state jail?
Funny how everyone who gets arrested all of a sudden has a medical or mental health problem. All of these fucking leeches think they should get world class medical care while they are in jail or prison but do nothing but abuse their bodies with drugs, alcohol and prostitution while in the freeworld and don't bother going to the dr while not incarcerated. Fuck those pieces of shit like your "friend", nobody owes them jack shit. Get off your lazy FAT ass and get a job and pay for your own healthcare.
Right to a short point but some of these people have legitimate complaints such as a baby born in there that got inadequate care and died. And nor everyone in jail is a hardened criminal. Judge not ......
DeleteIsn't this the jail where they killed the baby and then kept the mother incommunicado for several days (in solitary) while they, literally, tried to sweep the story under the rug?
ReplyDeleteI believe this is the prsion where around 4 women have died because of lack of medical care due to the fact that the guards get to play both god and doctors. But of course this is common in all the womens units in Gatesville also.
ReplyDeleteI understand your point "anonymous" but many of the people in here are not hardened criminals. People make mistakes and hey don't deserve to die for them, these are not murderers we're talking about. When someone dies in there it doesn't just affect them it affects their whole family.I have never been to jail for the record but my mom is currently in Dawson. Yes they were abusing their bodies before hand and should'nt get world class free health care, especially when regular non-criminals don't. But even in the free world they can go to JPS or some hospital and get health care they won't ever pay for if it is something serious. Also any woman who is in labor by law has to have her baby delivered whether she has insurance or not, because we are also talking about the health of the baby not just her. No innocent baby should of died because her mother got herself locked up and all the guards at the jail are too lazy to do anything. I went to visit my mother at Dawson a couple weeks ago and he guards are very lazy and un-attentive I had o bang on a window for a while before they even buzzed me out so I could go in and out every door. They were too busy talking and eating.
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