The death of an inmate at the Clements Unit outside of Amarillo is being investigated as a homicide, reports The Amarillo Globe News.The prisoner was initially taken to the medical clinic after an altercation with his cell mate, but medics who treated the man later said they believed he had been the victim of starvation and neglect.
Prison employees backed up the medics’ account, and all of the witnesses spoke to journalists on the condition of anonymity, out of fear of reprisals from prison officials. The medics alleged that the inmate had bed sores all over his body and was drastically underweight.
The Clements Unit is among the most violent prisons in the state, according to a Texas Tribune study. From 2006 to 2012, Clements inmates and officers were involved in more altercations than any other prison in Texas. In the study, high rates of violence in Texas prisons were linked to larger numbers of mentally ill prisoners, and inadequate mental health care.