COMMISSIONER DESIGNATE. >>> ARE PRIVATE COUNTY JAILS
CUTTING CORNERS FOR PROFIT?
THAT'S THE CENTRAL QUESTION
TONIGHT WAEZ LEARN ABOUT DEATHS
IN-- TONIGHT AS WE LEARN ABOUT
DEATHS INSIDE JAIL+@ CELLS.
WE HAVE THIS WFAA INVESTIGATION.
+@
WE HAVE THIS WFAA INVESTIGATION. +@>> I DON'T REALLY CARE TOO MUH
ABOUT TH+@E INMATES.
>> SHE WAS A LIVELY GIRL.
FULL OF SPUNK.
+@
FULL OF SPUNK. >> BEGIN CPR NOW.
>> ONE, TWO, THREE.
>> JUST BECAUSE THEY'RE IN JAIL
DOESN'T MEAN THEY'RE DOGS.
HE STILL TELLS ME IS MY DADDY
COMING TO GET ME?
AND I HAVE TO TELL HIM NO.
HE KNOWS HE'S IN HEAVEN.
>> PEOPLE ARE DYING AND THEY
SHOULDN'T BE DYING.
+@
+@ >>
+@ >> YOU
+@ >> YOU JUST LISTENED TO THE
VOICES OF THOSE WHO SAY A
COMPANY CALLED LA SALLE
CORRECTIONS IGNORED PLEAS FOR
ME+@DICAL ATTENTION.
ME+@DICAL ATTENTION. ALL THREE OF THESE PEOPLE DIED
IN JAILS RUN BY LASAL, A PRIVATE
-- LA SALLE, A PRIVATE FOR
PROFIT COMPANY.
PROFIT COMPANY. >> Reporter: LANCE HAS SPENT
DECADES IN TEXAS PRISONS.
>> SHOULD JAILS OR PRISONS EVER
BE PRIVE TIESZED?
>> NEV+@ER -- PRIVATIZED?
>> NEVER.
>> NEVER.
>> NEVER. IF YOU HAVE TO PRIVATIZE A JAIL
TO MAKE IT MORE EFFICIENT, THEN
THE PEOPLE THAT ARE OPERATING
THAT AND THE COU+@NTY LEADERSHIP
NEED TO BE FIRED.
>> Reporter: ALL THREE OF THE
FAMILIES HAVE FILED LAWSUITS
DEMAN+@DED LASALLE BE HELD
ACCOUNTABLE.
ACCOUNTABLE. WE ASKED FOR AN INTERVIEW.
THEY NEVER CALLED+@ BACK.
IN THEIR RESPONSES TO THE
LAWSUIT, THEY DENY ANY WRONG
DOING.
DOING.
DOING. >>
DOING. >> KICK IT TO ME.
>> OH MY GOODNESS.
>> Reporter: NOW LET'S TELL YOU
ABOUT THE FIRST OF THOSE THREE
INMATES.
INMATES.
INMATES. >> THAT'S MY DADDY.
IN HEAVEN.
IN HEAVEN. >> Reporter: RONALD BEASLEY.
>> Reporter: HE'S WITH JESUS.
>> HE WAS AN AWESOME DAD EVEN
THOUGH HE WAS ONLY WITH HIM FOR
16 MONTHS.
16 MONTHS. HE WAS AWESOME.
>> Repor+@ter: FOR DAYS BEASLEY
REPEATEDLY TOLD STAFF AT THE
JOHNSON COUNTY JAIL HE WAS
HAVING CHEST PAIN.
IT WAS+@ HARD TO BREATHE T.
HE'D -- BREATHE.
HE'D BEEN IN A DWI CRASH TWO
WEEKS EARL+@IER IN 2015.
WEEKS EARL+@IER IN 2015.+@ >> HE'D BEEN TELLING THEM FOR A
WEEK SOMETHING WASN'T RIGHT.
>> Reporter: HIS WIFE TALKED TO
A JAIL OFFICIAL IN PERSON.
>> THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHIN+@G ABT
IT.
IT.
IT. >>
IT. >> Reporter: BEASLEY WAS DEAD
THE NEXT DAY.
>> IT WAS SENSELESS BECAUSE
WE'RE TALKING ANTIBIOTICS IS ALL
HE NEEDED.
HE NEEDED. >>+@ Reporter: SHE'S RIGHT.
AN AUTOPSY SHOWED HE DIED FROM
INFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS
INFECTIOUS COMPLICATIONS RESULTING FROM A CHEST FRACTURE.
BEASLEY WASN'T THE ONLY CASE OF
ALLEGED MEDICAL NEGLECT.
+@
ALLEGED MEDICAL NEGLECT. >> SHE HAD SUCH NATURAL BEAUTY.
GOD, HER EYES WERE SO BEAUTIFUL.
>> Reporter: MORGAN, LIKE MANY
TEENS, EXPERIMENTED WITH DRUGS.
SHE WAS BOOKED INTO THE BOWIE
COUNTY JAIL RUN BY LASALLE ON
JUNE 28, 2016.
>> AT THE TIME SHE WENT IN SHE
WAS CLEAN.
WAS CLEAN. >> Reporter: MORGAN WAS A
DIABETIC.
DIABETIC.
DIABETIC. WITHOUT INSULIN SHE WOULD DIE.
>> NO ONE CHECKED HER FOR 13
HOURS.
HOURS.
HOURS. >>
HOURS. >> Reporter: MORGAN'S MOTHER
WANTS YOU TO SEE THIS+@ VIDEO OF
THE LAST MOMENTS OF HER
DAUGHTER'S LIFE.
DAUGHTER'S LIFE. SHE WAS JUST SHY OF TURNING 21.
+@
SHE WAS JUST SHY OF TURNING 21. FORMER LASALLE JAILER MASON
CLEGHORN SAW IT ALL.
HE'S THE ONE HOLDING HER HEAD.
HE'S SPEAKING OUT FOR THE FIRST
TIME AT+@ THE REQUEST OF MORGAN@
MOM.
MOM.
MOM. >>
MOM. >> HE WATCHED THE VIDEO.
IT COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED.
>> THEY'VE BECOME FRIENDS SINCE
MORGAN DIED.
MORGAN DIED. >> IT'S HARD SITTING HERE RIGHT
NOW.
NOW.
NOW. THAT'S MY BABY.
SHE'S DEAD RIGHT THERE.
>> Reporter: MORGAN'S AUTOPSY
SHOWED SHE HAD NO ILLEGAL DRUGS
IN HER SYSTEM.
>> WHAT I'VE LEARNED IS THEY
LOVE PEOPLE WHO PLAY OPOSSUM.
>> Reporter: THE NURSE ADMITTED
SHE REFUSED MORGAN'S REQUEST TO
GO TO MEDICAL.
>> I TOLD HER NO BECAUSE THAT'S
NOT HOW IT WORKS.
>> SHE BASICALLY LET MORGAN DIE.
>> SHE BASICALLY LET MORGAN DIE@ >> Reporter: THE NURSE WAS LATER
CONVIC+@TED OF NEGLIGENT HOMICI.
ONE YEAR EARLIER SAME JAIL A
DIFFERENT TRAGEDY.
DIFFERENT TRAGEDY. >> WHY SHOULD PEOPLE CARE ABOUT
MICHAEL?
MICHAEL?
MICHAEL? >> HE WAS A HUMAN BEING.
A FATHER, A HUSBAND, A BROTHER.
>> Reporter: MICHAEL WAS BOOKED
INTO LASALLE'S BOWIE COUNTY JAIL
ON A MISDEMEANOR.
HE TOLD THE STAFF HE HAD HEART
PROBLEMS, DIABETES, AND ASTHMA.
>>+@ EVERYBODY KNEW HE NEEDED
MEDICATION.
MEDICATION. >> Reporter: HE REPRESENTS
MICHAEL'S WIDOW.
MICHAEL'S WIDOW. INSTEAD OF HELPING MICHAEL,
LASALLE GUARDS WROTE HIM UP,
ACCUSING HIM OF FAKING+@.
>> I CAN'T BREATHE.
PLEASE.
PLEASE.
PLEASE. >> Reporter: IN THESE JAIL
VIDEOS YOU HERE MICHAEL
REPEATEDLY SAY I CAN'T BREATHE.
>> I CAN'T BREATHE.
>> Reporter: A GUARD PEPPER
SPRAYS HIM.
SPRAYS HIM. REMEMBER, MICHAEL HAS ASTHMA.
GUARDS TAKE HIM TO THE NURSE.
>> HER EXAM LITERALLY LASTED
LESS THAN ONE MINUTE.
>> Reporter: INSTEAD OF
MEDICINE, LASALLE JAILERS GIVE
HIM A SHOWER.
THEY TAKE HIM BACK TO HIS CELL
WHERE THEY LEAVE HIM.
>> THE WAY THAT THEY OPERATED
THIS PARTICULAR JAIL IS
A+@BSOLUTELY DEPLORABLE.
A+@BSOLUTELY DEPLORABLE. >> Reporter: ABOUT 12 HOURS
LATER HE'S FOUND DEAD OF A HEART
A.
A.
A. >>
A. >> THERE WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A
CORRECTIONS OFFICER CHECKING ON
HIM EVERY 30 MINUTES.
BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
>> HOW DO WE KNOW THAT DIDN'T
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN?
HAPPEN? >> BECAUSE WE HAVE VIDEO PROOF
THAT IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.
THE OFFICER DOCUMENTED THAT IT
HAPPENED EVERY 30 MINUTES, BUT
THAT W+@AS A FABRICATION OF
GOVERNMENT RECORDS.
GOVERNMENT RECORDS. >> Reporter: WHAT HE JUST SAID
IS IMPORTANT.
IS IMPORTANT. OVER AND OVER INVESTIGATORS HAVE
FOUND LASALLE GUARDS SAYING THAT
THEY HAD CHECKED ON PRISONERS
WHEN THEY HADN'T.
THE LASALLE GUARD IN THIS CASE
TESTIFIED IN A DEPOSITION THAT
LASALLE TRAINED THOER WRITE DOWN
CHECK -- TRAINERED HER TO WRITE
-- TRAINED +@HER TO WRITE DOWN
CHECKS HAD BEEN DONE EVEN IF
THEY HADN'T.
THEY HADN'T. >> SITUATIONS LIKE THAT, THOSE
ARE OF GRAVE CONCERN.
>> Reporter: BRANDON WOOD IS THE
TOP COUNTY JAIL REGULATOR IN THE
STATE OF TEXAS.
>> LASALLE AND SOME OF THEIR
FACILITIES HAVE HAD CONTINUED
NONCOMPLIANCE ISSUES.
NONCOMPLIANCE ISSUES. >> Reporter: IN CASE YOU STILL
THINK, WHO CARES?
THESE ARE JUST INMATES.
>> THEY'RE +@PEOPLE.
AND YES, THAI IN JAIL.
AND YES -- THEY'RE IN JAIL.
AND YES, THEY'VE DONE THINGS
WRONG.
WRONG.
WRONG. >>
WRONG. >> IT COULD BE ANYONE THAT IT
HAPPENS TO.
HAPPENS TO. AND IF NOT YOU, IT COULD BE
SOMEONE THAT YOU LOVE.
>> WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES IN LIFE.
BUT NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO TAKE
ANOTHER PERSON'S LIFE.
NO+@ ONE HAS THAT RIGHT.
NO+@ ONE HAS THAT RIGHT.+@ >> BESIDES THOSE THREE, THREE
OTHER DEATHS WERE REVEALED, TWO
IN WACO, AND ONE IN PARKER