By Daniel Borunda
El Paso Times
EL PASO, Texas — An inmate’s family alleges that the staff at the Otero County Prison Facility retaliated against the inmate after family members spoke out about what they claim is a lack of medical care.
Samuel Gomez’s family said he is seriously ill and not receiving proper care at the prison in Chaparral, N.M., while awaiting trial on federal drug conspiracy charges.
After an article ran Wednesday in the El Paso Times, a female prison official called Samuel Gomez into an office angry that he was making the prison look bad, said his daughter Perla Gomez.
“They threatened to take away his privileges to use the phone, his visitation rights and put him” in segregation, Perla Gomez said during a small protest for prisoners’ rights Thursday in front of the federal courthouse in Downtown El Paso.
“It’s inhumane what they are doing and to us this is retaliation,” she said. “We are not going to stop. I’m not going to let my father die in jail. ... Nobody has spoken up for prisoners. Why? Because they are afraid. They are afraid of repercussions and that their family members will face retaliation.”
Samuel Gomez, 47, is a federal inmate. David Campbell, a supervisor with the U.S. Marshals Service, said the allegations of retaliation are false and prison staff have provided Gomez the medical care recommended by doctors.
“We are doing everything for him we can medically,” Campbell said.
Relatives of other inmates joined the Gomez family at the protest with similar complaints about inadequate medical care and poor living conditions, including a roach infestation in the prison kitchen.
“People are afraid of the authorities. It’s a voice for all prisoners,” said Kayla, who declined to give her last name and was protesting in support her jailed brother-in-law, who she said is ill and in agony at the prison.
Staff at the prison referred questions to the Otero County Sheriff’s Department, which did not return a call for comment.
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