Bobby Edwards Died At Texarkana Jail

Inmate Bobby Edwards Died Following Medical Emergency At Texarkana Jail

BOWIE COUNTY, TEXAS (December 24, 2023) – A 56-year-old inmate identified as Bobby Edwards has tragically died following a medical emergency in Bowie County Sheriff’s Office custody in Texarkana.

Bowie County officials are saying that the incident began on December 8. Correctional officers noticed that Bobby Edwards was unresponsive in his cell.

Paramedics were called to the scene in order to help the inmate. Life-saving measures were taken, but those efforts were not successful.

Bobby Edwards was later pronounced dead. A full investigation remains ongoing at this time.

Liability For Texarkana Inmate Deaths

Thousands of inmates die in-custody every year. According to the Behind Bars Data Project, “In 2020, at least 6,182 people died in U.S. prisons. This is a 46% increase in the lives lost behind bars from 2019, despite a 10% decrease in the overall prison population. The U.S. has seen a significant, continual increase in deaths in prisons over the past two decades, but never before have the country’s prisons seen such a steep increase year-to-year.”Many factors have contributed to the sharp rise of inmate deaths.

• More and more inmates are entering the prison system with preexisting medical conditions.
• Jails are increasingly becoming places where people with severe mental illnesses are housed.
• A large number of jails across the United States are overcrowded which can put a severe strain on the quality of care all inmates receive.

When the state assumes control over a person through incarceration, that inmate must be given certain things. This includes proper healthcare for all of their medical needs. When a jail is deliberately indifferent to the serious medical needs of an inmate, this could form the basis of a constitutional claim. A jail may have contributed to an inmate’s death in a number of ways.

• A jail may not have given an inmate timely medical care.
• A jail may have failed to follow the instructions of medical doctors or nurses.
• A jail may have failed to intervene when an inmate was going through a drug overdose.

Many jail deaths are completely preventable. Jails are supposed to be proactive about keeping the inmates in their care healthy. But in many situations, jails will wait until an inmate is already in medical distress before they will bother intervening. The family of any person that died in a Jefferson County jail may have legal recourse through a civil claim. A civil rights attorney can examine the unique facts of your case and let you know what your legal options are.

Investigating Texarkana Inmate Deaths

We at Scott H. Palmer, P.C. extend our deepest condolences to the family of Bobby Edwards. Any person that may have more information about what happened should reach out to investigators. It is our sincere hope that measures are taken to prevent other tragedies like this.

Do you need more information about a Bowie County inmate death? Our team of civil rights attorneys are here to help in any way that we can. We care deeply that inmates are aware of their rights and that those rights are being protected. Whether you just have legal questions or need any type of support we are here for you. You can reach out to us anytime at 469-966-7614.