1)Texas News
Maps and
statistics on state killings in TexasSee: http://www.wf.net/~connally/alltxco.html
See: http://www.wf.net/~connally/4killercounties.html
From A Legally
Disabled Texas Woman Inmate Telling Her Story Of Texas Prisons
Denying Her A Wheelchair and Then Abusing Her Because She
Couldn't Walk!
-I was an inmate in the Texas Deptartment Of Corrections.(T.D.C.) I was released in January 2001. I served a 2 year living hell sentence for violation of probation on a DUI ( Driving While Under The Influence) of pain medication offense. I have never been in trouble with the law other than these DUI offenses. I am disabled due to chronic pain resulting from nerve damage in my spinal cord and was receiving social security disability for 7 years upon incarceration.
-I was denied a wheelchair,even though TDCJ had my medical records and letters from my doctor, stating a wheelchair is a necessity or my condition would worsen. The unit doctor, stated in my medical records that I was faking my condition and did not need one. I fell so many times my knees are permanently scarred. I was forced many times to crawl on the ground to get to the dinner hall, I was laughed at and mocked by staff during this. I was also denied food for days when unable to walk.
-My medical records state I sit on the ground and refuse to get up, instead of the truth, I fell and was unable to get up. I was on medications that have a heat restriction and was locked in a 8 by 16 cell in the heat of August with no windows or ventilation and collapsed from heat exhaustion. I was pushed off the bus on a trip to the pain management clinic at John Sealy Hospital and fell down the stairs when I couldn't walk down them because there was not even a hand rail. I use a disability bus at home.
-After writing grievances and filing complaints with the state licensing board on medical personnel and staff, I was retaliated against and written false disciplinary cases ...all major cases caused from my disability. I was sent to disciplinary segregation with the most violent inmates in the prison system and all my good time was taken. While there I was body slammed by a guard I had filed a complaint against, because I refused to obey an order to stop crying, after I had been denied food and water for 4 days. I was unable to walk to get it. I was slammed on my right hip which has an internal fixation in it.
-This resulted in a trip to the emergency room with injuries,
I was then placed in a cell with a violent inmate who repeatedly hit me and threatened me with a razors. When I filed a life endangerment and requested to be moved from this cell, I was denied and I refused to go back in. I was drug forcibly and thrown back in, which resulted in my right arm being broken with my cane. I was taken to medical and no doctor was available or x-ray tech. I was denied to be transported to the emergency room and was again returned to the same cell forcibly. I had to threaten this women who broke my arm in front of guards in order to be taken to solitary confinement. I was told I probably broke my own arm. I was left there in agony with not even an aspirin. The next day I again was taken to medical and saw a doctor briefly. He said there was no x-ray tech again and he couldn't tell if my arm was broken and refused to send me to the emergency room, and so I spent another day and night in agonizing pain. Finally on the 3rd day I was x-rayed and a cast put on my arm. I was given a major case for threatening the woman who assaulted me, which I did in order to be moved to solitary. She was rewarded by being moved up in status from segregation, and Internal Affairs refused to file charges against her.
-I was told they saw nothing and that I probably broke my own arm.
My family fearing I would die in there called state representative John Shields and he had me placed into protective custody, where I spent the last 6 months of my sentence. I could tell you more horror stories. I have seen people die from medical neglect, staff infections,denial of drugs needed for heart problems etc... Inmates are denied preventive medications for hepatitis C resulting in liver damage. Something needs to be done to stop the abuse. I have talked to attorneys but they say they can't sue TDCJ, even though I have all these things documented because the state has immunity. There are video tapes of use of force against me by bodyslamming me to the ground while my hands were cuffed behind me, because I refused to obey an order to stop crying, after being denied food and water for 4 days, also pictures of injuries, video tape of guards throwing me from a wheelchair and videotape of them dragging me by force after I refused to go back into the cell in which my arm was broken. TDCJ refused to give them to me and turned the decision over to the Attorney Generals office, who has denied them to me, under the opened records act, stating that because I was once an inmate I am not entitled as other people are to these opened records. The attorney general is TDCJ's attorney so why should they be determining if I get these tapes and pictures?
-Attornys refuse to sue and this is part of the problem. Also, the general public is not aware of the abuses. There are people fighting for animals rights and lab rats rights, yet no one seems to care about these human beings. Why? The media rarely reports these things. The public needs to be made aware of the horrors inmate suffer at the hands of the medical staff?
2) Prison Reform Unity Day 2001
(click on the link to open the page)