Inmate Ray Redding, 60, Died In Custody At Texas Department of Criminal Justice Jail In Galveston
HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS (November 2, 2023) - A 60-year-old inmate identified as Ray Redding has tragically died after a medical emergency at Hospital Galveston.
Galveston County officials are saying that the incident took place on September 20. Correctional officers noticed that Ray Redding was having some type of medical emergency.
Jail staff reported that he had a pre-existing medical condition. Despite life-saving measures, Ray Redding was pronounced dead by medical staff at 9:30 a.m. on October 31.
In his custodial death report, his cause of death was listed as “Cardiopulmonary Arrest secondary to Hepatic Encephalopathy”. A full investigation into the in-custody death remains ongoing at this time.
Liability For Galveston Inmate Deaths
Thousands of inmates die in custody each year. According to Health Affairs, “In 2019, there were approximately ten million admissions to more than 3,000 US jails—facilities that had become increasingly deadly in the prior decades. Between 2000 and 2019, jail mortality rose by approximately 11 percent.” Many of these deaths involve inmates with chronic health conditions. Jails should take a number of measures in order to help prevent in-custody deaths.
- Jails should give inmates a thorough health screening when they are first admitted.
- Jails should have well-trained medical professionals on staff.
- Jails should ensure that inmates are taken to hospitals for further examination when they begin to show signs of medical distress.
Many chronic medical conditions are treatable. They often become progressively worse over time without treatment. Sadly, though, many jails fail to properly treat the serious medical needs of an inmate. This can lead to a gradual or sudden deterioration in their health which can culminate in a medical emergency. When a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serous medical needs of an inmate, this can form the basis of a constitutional claim. It is important that evidence is properly preserved after any inmate death.
- The health profile of the inmate that died should be understood.
- The results of any autopsy performed should be known.
- The frequency of welfare checks for the deceased should also be known.
- Surveillance footage which captured the actions of correctional officers should be sought.
It can be hard to know where to begin after any in-custody death. Jails are often very quiet about what happened. But this should not be the case. One of the major contributing factors of in-custody deaths is that jails are simply ill-equipped to help many inmates with more serious health needs. The family of any person that died in custody may be able to seek some measure of justice through a civil claim. A civil rights attorney can investigate the unique facts of your case free of cost and let you know if any in-custody death was due to jail medical neglect.
Investigating Galveston Inmate Deaths
We at Scott H. Palmer, P.C. extend our deepest condolences to the family of Ray Redding. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators. It is our sincere hope that more action is taken to prevent additional tragedies like this from taking place.
Do you need more information about a Galveston County inmate death? Our team of civil rights advocates are here to answer any questions that you may have. We care deeply that inmates are aware of their rights and that jails are upholding constitutional standards. Whether you just have legal questions or need a free, independent investigation into any incident we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at 214-987-4100.