Skip navigation
× You have 2 more free articles available this month. Subscribe today.

Autistic Texan Dies in Bondage and Isolation After Being Committed to State Hospital

by Jo Ellen Nott

Justin Reeder, 32, died alone in a restraint chair at North Texas State Hospital (NTSH) on September 17, 2022. That night, staff could not control a spell of aggressive agitation Reeder was experiencing. So they strapped him into a four-point mechanical restraint chair, wheeled him to a seclusion area and reportedly left him there until he died.

Reeder was not criminally committed. He was not charged with any crime. Before he went to the state hospital, Reeder was well-loved and well-cared-for by his family in Pickton, Texas. He was on the autism spectrum, had a mental illness and was developmentally delayed, but those diagnoses did not stop him from living a life of accomplishments. He earned numerous medals in Special Olympics; he was employed and had a girlfriend. His father called him his “shadow.” His sister reported he never missed any of her basketball games. 

Over the years, Reeder went through periods when his medications were not effective, but a recalibration would return him to normal. The COVID-19 pandemic, however, was hard on Reeder. When it hit, he was “thrown way off,” said his mother, Mandy. 

The quarantines and restrictions meant Reeder could not enjoy his normal activities, causing him to spiral downward. His medication became less effective. When his mother could no longer control his aggressive outbursts, the family decided to place him in a state hospital. That civil commitment occurred approximately two years before his death.

Though the state hospital system in Texas has been plagued by chronic understaffing since the onset of the pandemic, it had “been notoriously understaffed for years,” according to KXAN. “High turnover and vacancies were exacerbated by the pandemic and remain a problem,” the news station reported, leaving only two-thirds of beds available. 

Reeder’s family could not visit during the pandemic but called him regularly. After his commitment to Terrell State Hospital, he was transferred to NTSH. There he had a brief period of improvement. But a move to a different unit at the hospital – it also serves as a maximum-security facility for those charged with serious felonies but deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial – landed him in a chaotic and aggressive environment where his improvement stopped, and he ultimately died.  

In her grief, Mandy Reeder began asking questions about her son’s stay at NTSH. She found he suffered a series of injuries she was unaware of: two facial fractures, a broken nose, a fractured rib – injuries that never occurred during his altercations with family at home. 

The Reeder family is left with more questions and answers in the wake of Justin’s death, regretting their decision to move him into a state hospital. The family has hired a legal team. Meanwhile KXAN has requested records related to Reeder’s death from local and state law enforcement and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. 

Source:  KXAN 

As a digital subscriber to Prison Legal News, you can access full text and downloads for this and other premium content.

Subscribe today

Already a subscriber? Login