Another preventable (and suspicious) death in Denton State School

Over the weekend the Fort Worth Star-Telegram broke this story about the death of Janice Campbell, aged 53, in Denton State School.

The Tarrant County medical examiner's office declared her death a homicide, citing a closed head injury sustained during an assault.  However, DADS officials, including Cecelia Federov, are claiming that Janice's death is a "tragic accident".

They place the blame squarely on another state school inmate, who is according to Federov, "profoundly mentally retarded, with the mind of a 6-month-old".  This resident apparently pushed Janice, who fell to the floor, and died at a Fort Worth hospital on Friday, March 13th.

Here's the problem though.  Coroners are generally fairly well-educated folks, and although I've never interacted with one, I'd imagine they are, in most cases, able to the difference between accidental injuries caused by a fall and those associated with assault.  Coroners probably don't issue "death by assault" findings unless they have good reason to.

And the other individual, regardless of whether or not he or she was involved in the circumstances surrounding Janice's death, predictably functions as a convenient scapegoat.  If it is indeed true that there were no staff members involved in the incident, then where the hell were they?  What's really going on here?  And who else has to die before DADS pulls their heads out of their asses?

The real tragedy isn't that this was an accident, the tragedy is that DADS once again wriggles out of real accountability by blaming someone who is as much of a victim here as Janice Campbell.   A victim of his or her arbitrary and meaningless labels and the prisoner of a criminal system that allowed neither this individual nor Ms. Campbell to realize their potentials in a community setting.

Rest in peace, Janice Campbell.