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Mentally Ill Texas Woman “Ignored to Death” After Five Months in Jail
Loaded on July 2, 2019
by Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
July, 2019, page 44
Filed under:
Wrongful Death,
Medical Neglect/Malpractice,
Mental Health,
Failure to Treat (Mental Illness).
Location:
Texas.
by Matt Clarke
Janice Dotson-Stephens, 61, died of natural causes at the Bexar County jail in San Antonio, Texas on December 14, 2018. The circumstances of her death were anything but “natural,” though. She spent her last five months incarcerated on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing on private …
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More from this issue:
- News in Brief
- Former Prisoner Becomes California Coffee Entrepreneur, by Scott Grammer
- Motions to Dismiss by Corizon and Wexford Denied in Lawsuit Over Florida Prisoner’s Double Leg Amputation, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Texas Prisoner’s Excessive Force Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Michigan: Settlement in Class-Action Suit by Prisoners with Hearing Disabilities, by Douglas Ankney
- Montana Parolee Sues CoreCivic Over Prison Assault, Brain Injury, by Matthew Clarke
- Sheriff, Undersheriff and Deputies Resign Over Safety Issues at Oklahoma Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Texas Prisoner Sues Former Guards for Planting Screwdrivers in His Cell, by Matthew Clarke
- $3 Million Settlement Where Prison Doctor Failed to Treat Disabled Illinois Prisoner, by Scott Grammer
- Florida: No Qualified Immunity for Jail Medical Staff in Prisoner’s Death, by David M. Reutter
- Texas Prisoner’s Lawsuit Over Reaction to Prison Blankets Moves Forward, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Government Pays Nation of Islam to Teach BOP Prisoners
- Florida Prisons and Jails Retaliate Against Prisoners Who File Lawsuits by Countersuing for Costs of Incarceration, by Dale Chappell
- Study Finds More Private Prisons Result in Judges Imposing Slightly Longer Sentences, by Matthew Clarke
- New Jersey Federal Court Approves $1.5 Million Jail Strip-Search Settlement, by Dale Chappell
- Minnesota Prisoners Win Access to New Hepatitis C Medications
- Maine: Prosecutorial Misconduct in False Rape Case Results in $2.1 Million in Damages, by Chad Marks
- Michigan Prisoner Dies from Cocaine Overdose, Sergeant and Paramedics Charged, $3.75 Million Settlement, by Scott Grammer
- Texas Bans All Clergy from Death Chamber after Supreme Court Stays Execution, by Matthew Clarke
- Arrestee Dies in a Jail with No Medical Staff; Eleventh Circuit Reverses Dismissal, by Edward Lyon
- Scammers Deprive Prisoners with Legitimate Substance Abuse Problems of BOP Drug Treatment, by Douglas Ankney
- New Bill Restricts Use of Solitary Confinement in New Mexico, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Interim Attorney Fees Awarded in Kentucky Good Time Lawsuit, by David M. Reutter
- More States on Track to Restore Voting Rights to Felons, but Not Without Hurdles, by Dale Chappell
- Mentally Ill Texas Woman “Ignored to Death” After Five Months in Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Pennsylvania Prisoners’ Cigarette Stashes to Go Up in Smoke, by Douglas Ankney
- Monterey County, California Pays $365,000 for Jail Prisoner’s Death, by Douglas Ankney
- Former Louisiana Warden Nate Cain, Son of Infamous Burl Cain, Pleads Guilty, by David M. Reutter
- Minnesota Sheriff Hit with Attorney Fees Award in Civil Rights Case, by Derek Gilna
- End of Gubernatorial Terms Bring Pardons, Commutations, by David M. Reutter
- Federal Judge Holds Bivens Not Applicable to Prison Workplace Discrimination Claims, by Dale Chappell
- Michigan: $40,000 Settlement for Parole Violation Sanctions Absent Due Process, by David M. Reutter
- Eighth Circuit Reinstates Iowa Prisoner’s Retaliation Claims, by Matthew Clarke
- Mississippi Prison Industry Program Faltering, CEO Fired, by David M. Reutter
- Nevada: Jail Death Due to Excessive Force Leads to $175,000 in Settlements, by Dale Chappell
- Ninth Circuit Issues Ruling on Arizona DOC Stipulated Settlement, by David M. Reutter
- California: Denial of Bed During Jail Disturbances Not a Constitutional Violation, by David M. Reutter
- $115,000 Settlement after Nebraska Prison Nurses Ignore Prisoner’s Heart Attack, by Edward Lyon
- Tennessee: Federal Court Grants Class-Action Status in Shareholder Suit Against CoreCivic, by Matthew Clarke
- Fifth Circuit Holds Transgender Prisoner Not Entitled to Sex Reassignment Surgery, by Matthew Clarke
- Native American Prisoners Win Lawsuit Over Right to Wear Long Hair, by Matthew Clarke
- “Game of Kings” Has Large Following, Long History Behind Bars, by Matthew Clarke
- 17 Indicted in SC Prison Smuggling Ring, by Scott Grammer
- D.C. Court Awards $501 Million in Suit Against North Korea for Torture-Death of Prisoner, by Matthew Clarke
- Fourth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of South Carolina Prisoner’s Suit Over Safekeeper Status, by David M. Reutter
- Some Prisons Are Using Virtual Reality for Reentry and Other Programs, by Matthew Clarke
- New Study Finds Mass Incarceration Impacts Over Half of U.S. Families, by Steve Horn
- South Carolina Fails to Evacuate Prisoners Threatened by Hurricane, by Matthew Clarke
- New York Sheriff Loses Lawsuit, Must Report Serious Prisoner Incidents to State Agency, by Chad Marks
- South Carolina: Two Women Drown in Sheriff’s Transport Van, Deputies Charged, by Scott Grammer
- New Mexico Riot Raises Questions About Private Prison Company’s Competence, by Kevin W. Bliss
- New Indianapolis Jail Will Not be Run by a Private Prison Company, but is Being Built on Contaminated Land, by Kevin W. Bliss
- GEO Group Produces Litigation Documents After HRDC Files Public Records Suit, by Christopher Zoukis
- Imagine Pleading Guilty Because You Can’t Afford to Call Your Lawyer, by Victoria Law
- Canada: Long-Term Segregation of Mentally Ill Prisoners Unconstitutional; $20 Million in Damages, by Kevin W. Bliss
- Federal Court Rules in Favor of HRDC in Virginia Jail Censorship Suit
- Settlement Reached in Suit Over Failure to Keep Released L.A. County Prisoners from Becoming Homeless, by Scott Grammer
- “I Had Nothing”: How Parole Perpetuates a Cycle of Incarceration and Instability, by Raven Rakia
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Sixth Circuit Rules Suit May Proceed Where State Judge Offered Reduced Sentences for Sterilization, by Douglas Ankney
- The Second Step: Invest in Prison Education Programs, Reinstate Pell Grants, by Christopher Zoukis
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
- Tenth Circuit Upholds $33 Million Jury Award in Suit Over Detainee’s Horrific Death in Oklahoma County Jail, July 1, 2026
- Texas Prison System Bans Prisoners from Receiving Hardback and Used Books, July 1, 2026
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026
- Dallas County Jail Deaths, Many Preventable, Dramatically Increase Under Sheriff Marian Brown, June 1, 2026
- Ninth Circuit Lets Stand Ruling That Federal Prisoners’ Gradually Accumulated Savings Are Subject to Restitution Turnover, June 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Reinstates Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Against Prison Dental Staff, June 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- He Died in a Florida Jail. The Company in Charge Should Have Sent Him to the Hospital, Experts Say., July 1, 2026. Armor Correctional Health Services, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Fifth Circuit Kills Louisiana Prison Medical and Mental Health Care Reform, July 1, 2026. Medical, Conditions of Confinement, PLRA, Immunity/Liability, Mental Health.
- $25,000 Paid to Former New York Jail Detainee Subjected to Delayed Healthcare and Denied Mental Healthcare— Despite Seven Suicide Attempts, July 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Conditions of Confinement, Mental Health, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Deliberate Indifference.
- Tenth Circuit Upholds $33 Million Jury Award in Suit Over Detainee’s Horrific Death in Oklahoma County Jail, July 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Three Women Died at a Michigan Prison in Less than a Month, July 1, 2026. Systemic Medical Neglect, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Deliberate Indifference.
- After Spoliation Sanction, CoreCivic Settles Suit Over Suicide in New Mexico ICE Lockup, July 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Discovery, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides.
- Ohio Jail Leaders Knew Cameras Were Broken for Four Years Before Fixing Them, July 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Security Systems, Disclosure of Records, Wrongful Death, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
- CoreCivic’s Long Record of Abuse and Neglect in Tennessee, June 1, 2026. Corrections Corporation of America/CoreCivic, Systemic Medical Neglect, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Over $2 Million Paid by Otero County and VitalCore Health Strategies for New Mexico Jail Suicide, June 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Suicides, Immunity - Sovereign/Municipal, Deliberate Indifference.
- Settlement Reached in Mental Health Care Class-Action at San Diego County Jails, June 1, 2026. Settlements, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Class Actions, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Inadequate Health Care Facilities.

