Mortality Data and Related Policies, 2000-2020

Jae'lon Nelms
Office of the General Counsel
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
PO Box 99
Huntsville, Texas 77342-0099

To Jae'lon Nelms:

Pursuant to the Texas Public Information Act, Tex. Gov’t Code §552.001 et seq., I hereby request the following records:

– Those which include time and date of all instances of death occurring in the offender population between January 2000 and December 2020.

– Those which indicate the total number of individuals in Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) custody who died by any cause, separated monthly, from January 2000 to December 2020.

– Monthly population records that include the total number of deaths occurring among people in the custody of the TDCJ between January 2000 and December 2020.

– Final reports of death for all individuals in TDCJ custody who died between January 2000 and December 2020.

Additionally, I am requesting an opportunity to inspect or obtain copies of any and all TDCJ policies, regulations, and procedures, pertaining to...

– Investigations of in-custody deaths.

– Requirements for the performance of an autopsy or post-mortem medical examination of individuals who die while in TDCJ custody.

– The reporting of in-custody deaths to other governmental agencies.

– Next-of-kin notification in the event of in-custody deaths.

The requested documents will be made available to the general public, and this request is not being made for commercial purposes.

In the event that there are fees, I would be grateful if you would inform me of the total charges in advance of fulfilling my request. I would prefer the request filled electronically, by e-mail attachment if available or CD-ROM if not. However, we respectfully request a waiver of these fees as we are affiliated with an educational or noncommercial scientific institution, and this request is made for a scholarly or scientific purpose and not for a commercial use.

The Texas Public Information Act requires that you “promptly produce” the requested records unless, within 10 days, you have sought an Attorney General’s Opinion. If you expect a significant delay in responding to this request, please contact me with information about when I might expect copies or the ability to inspect the requested records. If you choose to deny this request, please provide a written explanation for the denial including a reference to the specific statutory exemption(s) upon which you rely. Also, please provide all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.

Thank you in advance for your anticipated cooperation in this matter.

Sincerely,

Forrest Behne
Policy Director, COVID Prison Project
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Office: (919) 391-7962
340 MacNider Hall | Campus Box 7240
333 South Columbia Street
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7240

TDCJ Office of the General Counsel,

Thank you very much for your prompt assistance in this matter. We are grateful for all of your help.

Sincerely,

The COVID Prison Project