Another inmate died last week at the Bexar County Jail, bringing the total number of deaths in 2025 to ten.
According to the sheriff’s office, Ryan James Postoak, 34, died while in jail last Friday.
They believe Ryan Postoak died as a result of a medical event exacerbated by withdrawal symptoms, exemplifying some of the issues facing the institution.
In May, a heartbroken Bexar County mother addressed the Texas Commission on Jail Standards as part of her continuous campaign for detainees who die in the Bexar County jail.
“I want to know what this agency is doing to prevent these deaths – I know you gave our jail two non-compliances, but that’s not enough,” she told me.
Her son’s death in the Bexar County Jail is one of more than 100 in the last decade.
On Friday, Postoak’s cellmate notified deputies that he was having a seizure.
BCSO responded and attempted to resuscitate Postoak, but he died shortly before two a.m.
According to the sheriff’s office, Postoak had a medical episode that was “compounded by withdrawal symptoms.”
He was arrested the day before for driving while intoxicated and causing car damage.
“There is no standardized detox protocol in county jails,” Krish Gundu, co-founder of the Texas Jail Project, explained.
Gundu works for better care in Texas jails, fighting for standards and procedures to save lives.
“And so the minimal standard we have in place – they are floor-level standards – so, they are not enough to keep this population safe,” Gundu went on.
Sheriff Salazar established “Operation Lifeguard” to improve inmate health services in response to previous deaths.
In April, following two fatalities within days of one other, the department stated, “We will become more stringent in who we medically accept into our facility.” These guys would be far better serviced in a robust medical center than what we can provide in the jail.”
University Health, which runs the medical center in the jail, reacted to KENS 5 with the following statement:
Inmates at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center are assessed, managed, and treated for substance use disorder, intoxication, or withdrawal. Individuals who display or report symptoms of withdrawal are treated by skilled health care experts.
For selected patients, a medically supervised withdrawal management program is implemented, which involves drugs and medical provider monitoring in order to effectively manage and substantively mitigate withdrawal symptoms.
Our withdrawal program is designed to minimize or eliminate physiological dependence on substances while also alleviating the negative physical consequences associated with withdrawal.
