×
You've used up your 3 free articles for this month. Subscribe today.
Texas Disguising Deaths in Custody
by Diana Claitor
In 2012, a 53-year-old Black woman named Edwinta Deckard was arrested on a misdemeanor theft charge and held in the Nacogdoches County Jail where she died after three days. Her death was an ordeal of dehydration and trauma, as repeated bouts of diarrhea were ignored by jail ...
Full article and associated cases available to subscribers.
As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.
Already a subscriber? Login
More from this issue:
- Debit Card Issuers Still Prey on People Released from Prisons and Jails: HRDC Lawsuits Challenge Companies in Court, by Andrew Stewart
- Arkansas Governor Hutchinson Grants Commutation for Blind Mother, by Kevin Bliss
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- $6 Million Payout in Montana Wrongful Conviction Case, by Derek Gilna
- NBA Owner Capitalizes on Mass Incarceration; Players Silent, by Matthew Clarke
- University of Florida Still Using Prison Labor, But End in Sight, by Kevin Bliss
- Texas Disguising Deaths in Custody, by Diana Claitor
- Administrator of “Whitey” Bulger’s Estate Sues BOP Over His Murder, by Derek Gilna
- North Carolina Case Involving Death of Black Prisoner: “I Can’t Breathe,” Revisited, by Edward Lyon
- Cost of Communicating with Prisoners Breaking Family Budgets During Pandemic, by David Reutter
- New Jersey Releases 2,258 Prisoners to Combat COVID-19 Spread, by David Reutter
- Pennsylvania Prisoner Off Death Row After 33 Years, by David Reutter
- Innovative Vermont Prison Superintendent’s Demotion for Sexist Language Proves Controversial, by Jayson Hawkins
- Another Prisoner’s Needless Death, Another Lawsuit at LaSalle-Run Texarkana Jail, by Matthew Clarke
- Federal Judge Approves $25 Million Class Action Settlement Against Global Tel*Link, by Derek Gilna
- The Latest on COVID-19: Will Vaccines be Available Soon?, by Michael D. Cohen, MD
- Former Prisoners Testify on Abuse at Notorious New Jersey Women’s Prison, by Kevin Bliss
- Fifth Circuit Order Denies Texas Prisoners Hand Sanitizer and Cleaning Supplies, by Derek Gilna
- The Role of Prosecutors in Mass Incarceration, by Jayson Hawkins
- California Passes Bill Allowing ICE Detainees to Sue Private Contractors, by Kevin Bliss
- COVID-19 Deaths in Jails, Prisons Exceed Number of Deaths by Execution From 1990 to Present, by Derek Gilna
- Missouri Executes Prisoner During COVID-19 Crisis, by Edward Lyon
- For Some Faiths in Los Angeles County Jails, Volunteer Chaplains Are in Short Supply, by Douglas Ankney
- $5.9 Million Settlement in Death of Transgender Prisoner at New York’s Rikers Island, by Matthew Clarke
- Connecticut Prisoner Commits Suicide With COVID-19 Protective Mask, by Kevin Bliss
- Prisoners Exonerated in Michigan After Police Misconduct Revealed, by Edward Lyon
- Woman Sues Mississippi Parole Board for Discrimination and Retaliation, by Anthony Accurso
- Maine Jail Gets a Pass for Using Pepper Spray on Mentally Ill Prisoners, by Daniel A. Rosen, Kevin Bliss
- Privatized Food Service Problems at Pennsylvania’s Allegheny County Jail, by Jayson Hawkins
- $177,500 Settlement in Lawsuit Over Five Louisiana Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed While Handcuffed, by Matthew Clarke
- California Appellate Court Orders 50% Reduction in San Quentin Population Over Fears of COVID-19 Spread, by David Reutter
- COVID-19 Lockdowns in Prisons Affecting Post-Secondary Education, by Kevin Bliss
- Indiana Prisoner Has First Amendment Retaliation Claims Rejected by Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals, by Casey Bastian
- Nine Months Later, DOJ Still Hasn’t Provided Senator Rubio With Answers About Rampant Sexual Abuse at Women’s Prisons, by Douglas Ankney
- Members of Congress Probe Pentagon on Accreditation of Military Prisons, by Douglas Ankney
- COVID-19 in the Country’s Largest Female Prison, by Edward Lyon
- $11 Million Settlement in Illinois for Three Men Freed From Prison in Wrongful Convictions, by Anthony Accurso
- Activists Call to Shut Down Illinois Prison, by David Reutter
- Suicides in New York SHUs Surge to Epidemic Levels, by Keith Sanders
- California Jail Prisoner Loses Limbs, but Faces Setback in Lawsuit Alleging Medical Neglect, by Edward Lyon
- Teen Spends 17 Months in Mississippi Jail Without Indictment, by Daniel A. Rosen
- COVID-19 Strikes Alaskan Prison, by Kevin Bliss
- California First State to Eliminate Post-Prison Fees, by Jayson Hawkins
- Julian Assange’s Potential Fate in U.S. Prisons, by Jayson Hawkins
- Families Must Pay for Cremation Bill of Loved Ones Who Die in Prison, by Kevin Bliss
- Fifth Circuit Reinstates Texas Jail Suicide Lawsuit, by Matthew Clarke
- Seventh Circuit Affirms Dismissal of Illinois Prisoner’s Lawsuit Alleging Dental Care Negligence, by David Reutter
- Former Transgender Prisoner Fights for LGBTQ Rights in Massachusetts Prisons, by Kevin Bliss
- Eighth Circuit Reverses Dismissal of Iowa Prisoner’s ADA Claim, by David Reutter
- Third Circuit Reinstates Claims by Immigration Detainee in GEO-Operated Prison Seeking to Marry U.S. Citizen, by Matthew Clarke
- Nebraska Supreme Court Rules Execution Drug Documents Subject to Disclosure, by Matthew Clarke
- DC Circuit Court: “Three Strike” Prisoners Must Show Imminent Danger to File Lawsuits, by David Reutter
- Whistleblower Claims Female Detainees at Privately Run Georgia ICE Facility Had Forced Hysterectomies, by Dale Chappell
- New Documentary Released on Forced Sterilizations of Female Prisoners, by Edward Lyon
- Maine Superspreader: Few Masks at Wedding Lead to Big Problems at Prison, by Jayson Hawkins
- News in Brief
More from Diana Claitor:
- Texas Disguising Deaths in Custody, Dec. 1, 2020
More from these topics:
- Now Under Federal Receivership, New York City’s Rikers Island Jails Still Have No Plan to Improve, No Firm Date to Close, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, DOC/BOP misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Eighth Amendment.
- PLN Publisher Wins Settlement Records from Centurion in Florida Prisoner’s Wrongful Death, Aug. 1, 2025. Centurion, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Public Records Act, HRDC Litigation.
- HRDC Wins $480,000 in Legal Fees from Centurion for Denied New Mexico Records, Aug. 1, 2025. Centurion, Systemic Medical Neglect, Medical Records, Misdiagnosis, Failure to Treat, Malpractice, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Public Records Act, HRDC Publications, HRDC Litigation.
- Suit Filed Over Fatal Beating of New York Prisoner That Sparked Massive Guard Strike, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Failure to Treat, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Restraints, Failure to Protect (Wrongful Death), Excessive Force (Wrongful Death).
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Private Prisons, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Systemic Medical Neglect, Male Reproductive, Malpractice, Escapes, Guard Brutality/Beatings, Stun Guns/Tasers, Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, Restraints, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Juvenile Prisons, Bureau of Prisons (BOP), Bribery/Extortion/Theft.
- Former Maine Prison Guard Arrested and Detained by ICE Agents, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct, Guards/Staff, Immigration Law/Offenses.
- $1.875 Million Partial Settlement for Colorado Detainee’s Death from Untreated Alcohol Withdrawal; Claims Against Wellpath Pending Bankruptcy, Aug. 1, 2025. Systemic Medical Neglect, Drug/Alcohol Withdrawal, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice.
- Former California Prison Guard Pleads Guilty to Planting Contraband He Pretended to Discover, Aug. 1, 2025. Guard Misconduct.
- News in Brief, Aug. 1, 2025. Assault by Police, Misconduct/Corruption, Guard Misconduct, Police Misconduct, Stun Guns/Tasers, Immigration, False Arrest, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of.
- News in Brief, July 15, 2025. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Pepper Spray/Tear Gas, halfway houses, New Trial/Judgment of Acquittal, Bribery/Extortion/Theft, Fraud and Deceit.