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Public commenters press TDCJ board on death-row conditions, medical transport, commissary and water at Hobby; advocates call for accountability
Summary
Twenty-four registered speakers raised concerns about death-row conditions, medical transport, commissary and vending reliability, grievance processing, alleged retaliatory denials of tablets, hobby-unit water quality, and staffing shortages that limit recreation and showers.
About two dozen members of the public spoke during the Texas Board of Criminal Justice meeting, raising repeated concerns about conditions of confinement, medical care and family communications at TDCJ facilities.
Speakers described alleged problems on death row including long stretches without showers, limited out-of-cell time, and delays in medical care. Multiple family members and advocates urged the board to investigate deaths and denied medical transports, and they provided personal accounts of what they described as preventable fatalities.
Several speakers described ongoing problems with food quality and commissary options, reporting identical poor meals at multiple units and vending machines that are often broken. Advocates asked the board to hold vendors accountable and urged improved vending choices and quality for both residents and visiting family members.
Medical transport and Plains State Jail Advocates with Lincoln Justice Impacted Women27s Alliance and others…
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