Suicide of Rodney Hulin
Encyclopedia
Rodney Hulin, Jr. hanged himself in the Clemens Unit
in unincorporated
Brazoria County, Texas
on January 26, 1996 after being raped in prison
; Hulin died months after he fatally injured himself. Hulin became a symbol of a movement that advocated not placing juvenile offenders in adult institutions.
(TDCJ) system after setting trash on fire. Hulin produced Molotov cocktail
s and threw them over a fence, which, according to an incident report, "caused a small fire in a pile of empty cans against the outside wall of the residence." Hulin was 16 years old, when he was arrested for committing the crime, so under Texas law he was considered to be a juvenile. The juvenile court debated whether to try Hulin as an adult; the political climate of the mid-1990s in Texas supported the trying of juvenile offenders as adults. After the court system decided to try Hulin as an adult, Hulin learned that he had two choices if he took a plea agreement for two charges of second-degree arson. He could enroll in boot camp and probation, and would receive two 15 year sentences if he failed. He could also take eight years in prison with the possibility of parole in two years. Hulin chose the latter option.
Hulin spent six months in the Randall County Jail in Amarillo, Texas
and three months in the Middleton Unit in Abilene, Texas
. He did not report any major issues while incarcerated in the two institutions. Hulin was scheduled to be transferred from the unit since Middleton was a unit for testing prisoners so they could be classified to go to permanent prison facilities.
in unincorporated
Brazoria County, Texas
. Hulin reported being raped by fellow inmates around his age after his transfer to a division for younger offenders in the Clemens Unit. On November 17, 1995, a prison doctor examined Hulin for signs of rape; Hulin told the doctor that he had been forced to perform oral sex
and then was forced to receive anal penetration
. The medical documents stated that Hulin had two "vertical tears" in his rectum. The physician recommended an HIV
test, which produced a negative result.
On January 26, 1996, Hulin sent a suicide note to another prisoner and then hanged himself. Hulin was taken to a Brazoria hospital, which restored his heartbeat. He was transferred to the prison unit of the John Sealy Hospital
in Galveston, Texas
and then to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
(TDCJ) Hospital Galveston Unit in Galveston. After Hulin turned 18 years of age, he was transferred to the Ellis Unit
in unincorporated Walker County, Texas
. Hulin's father, Rodney Hulin, Sr., applied for a medical parole on behalf of his son. The parole was granted, and Hulin was scheduled to move into a nursing home
in Abilene, Texas
on May 11, 1996. Hulin died in the evening of May 9, 1996 before before he could be transferred to the nursing home.
, saying that the system failed to protect Hulin. In 1998 the case was settled out of court and the state paid a settlement to the family. The criminal justice system did not attempt to prosecute Hulin's rapists.
He became a symbol of a movement that advocated not placing juvenile offenders in adult institutions. Michael Berryhill of the Houston Press
stated that there was "irony in [Hulin] becoming a symbol of a cause that likely wouldn't have helped him."
Clemens Unit
Clemens Unit is a prison farm of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in unincorporated Brazoria County, Texas. The prison, with about , is located at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2004 and Texas State Highway 36...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County[p] is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Regionally, parts of the county are within the extreme southern-most fringe of the regions locally known as Southeast Texas. Brazoria County is among a...
on January 26, 1996 after being raped in prison
Prison rape
Prison rape commonly refers to the rape of inmates in prison by other inmates or prison staff.In 2001, Human Rights Watch estimated that at least 140,000 inmates had been raped while incarcerated. and there is a significant variation in the rates of prison rape by race...
; Hulin died months after he fatally injured himself. Hulin became a symbol of a movement that advocated not placing juvenile offenders in adult institutions.
Crime and sentence
Hulin entered the Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ) system after setting trash on fire. Hulin produced Molotov cocktail
Molotov cocktail
The Molotov cocktail, also known as the petrol bomb, gasoline bomb, Molotov bomb, fire bottle, fire bomb, or simply Molotov, is a generic name used for a variety of improvised incendiary weapons...
s and threw them over a fence, which, according to an incident report, "caused a small fire in a pile of empty cans against the outside wall of the residence." Hulin was 16 years old, when he was arrested for committing the crime, so under Texas law he was considered to be a juvenile. The juvenile court debated whether to try Hulin as an adult; the political climate of the mid-1990s in Texas supported the trying of juvenile offenders as adults. After the court system decided to try Hulin as an adult, Hulin learned that he had two choices if he took a plea agreement for two charges of second-degree arson. He could enroll in boot camp and probation, and would receive two 15 year sentences if he failed. He could also take eight years in prison with the possibility of parole in two years. Hulin chose the latter option.
Hulin spent six months in the Randall County Jail in Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo, Texas
Amarillo is the 14th-largest city, by population, in the state of Texas, the largest in the Texas Panhandle, and the seat of Potter County. A portion of the city extends into Randall County. The population was 190,695 at the 2010 census...
and three months in the Middleton Unit in Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
. He did not report any major issues while incarcerated in the two institutions. Hulin was scheduled to be transferred from the unit since Middleton was a unit for testing prisoners so they could be classified to go to permanent prison facilities.
The suicide
In November 1995 he was transferred to the Clemens UnitClemens Unit
Clemens Unit is a prison farm of the Texas Department of Criminal Justice in unincorporated Brazoria County, Texas. The prison, with about , is located at the intersection of Farm to Market Road 2004 and Texas State Highway 36...
in unincorporated
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County, Texas
Brazoria County[p] is a county in the U.S. state of Texas, located on the Gulf Coast within the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area. Regionally, parts of the county are within the extreme southern-most fringe of the regions locally known as Southeast Texas. Brazoria County is among a...
. Hulin reported being raped by fellow inmates around his age after his transfer to a division for younger offenders in the Clemens Unit. On November 17, 1995, a prison doctor examined Hulin for signs of rape; Hulin told the doctor that he had been forced to perform oral sex
Oral sex
Oral sex is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a sex partner by the use of the mouth, tongue, teeth or throat. Cunnilingus refers to oral sex performed on females while fellatio refer to oral sex performed on males. Anilingus refers to oral stimulation of a person's anus...
and then was forced to receive anal penetration
Anal sex
Anal sex is the sex act in which the penis is inserted into the anus of a sexual partner. The term can also include other sexual acts involving the anus, including pegging, anilingus , fingering, and object insertion.Common misconception describes anal sex as practiced almost exclusively by gay men...
. The medical documents stated that Hulin had two "vertical tears" in his rectum. The physician recommended an HIV
HIV
Human immunodeficiency virus is a lentivirus that causes acquired immunodeficiency syndrome , a condition in humans in which progressive failure of the immune system allows life-threatening opportunistic infections and cancers to thrive...
test, which produced a negative result.
On January 26, 1996, Hulin sent a suicide note to another prisoner and then hanged himself. Hulin was taken to a Brazoria hospital, which restored his heartbeat. He was transferred to the prison unit of the John Sealy Hospital
John Sealy Hospital
John Sealy Hospital is a hospital that is a part of the University of Texas Medical Branch complex in Galveston, Texas, United States.Sealy opened on January 10, 1890. It was founded by the widow and brother of one of the richest citizens of Texas, John Sealy after his death...
in Galveston, Texas
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
and then to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice
Texas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
(TDCJ) Hospital Galveston Unit in Galveston. After Hulin turned 18 years of age, he was transferred to the Ellis Unit
Ellis Unit
O. B. Ellis Unit is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated Walker County, Texas, north of Huntsville. The unit, with about of space, now houses up to 2,400 male prisoners. Ellis is situated in a wooded area shared with the Estelle Unit, which is located away...
in unincorporated Walker County, Texas
Walker County, Texas
Walker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 67,861. Its county seat is Huntsville.Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislator from Mississippi who introduced into the United States Congress the resolution to annex Texas...
. Hulin's father, Rodney Hulin, Sr., applied for a medical parole on behalf of his son. The parole was granted, and Hulin was scheduled to move into a nursing home
Nursing home
A nursing home, convalescent home, skilled nursing unit , care home, rest home, or old people's home provides a type of care of residents: it is a place of residence for people who require constant nursing care and have significant deficiencies with activities of daily living...
in Abilene, Texas
Abilene, Texas
Abilene is a city in Taylor and Jones counties in west central Texas. The population was 117,063 at the 2010 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene Metropolitan Statistical Area, which had a 2006 estimated population of 158,063. It is the county seat of Taylor County...
on May 11, 1996. Hulin died in the evening of May 9, 1996 before before he could be transferred to the nursing home.
Aftermath
Hulin's parents filed a lawsuit against the Texas Department of Criminal JusticeTexas Department of Criminal Justice
The Texas Department of Criminal Justice is a department of the government of the state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails and private correctional facilities, funding and certain...
, saying that the system failed to protect Hulin. In 1998 the case was settled out of court and the state paid a settlement to the family. The criminal justice system did not attempt to prosecute Hulin's rapists.
He became a symbol of a movement that advocated not placing juvenile offenders in adult institutions. Michael Berryhill of the Houston Press
Houston Press
The Houston Press is an alternative weekly newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in Downtown Houston....
stated that there was "irony in [Hulin] becoming a symbol of a cause that likely wouldn't have helped him."
External links
- Case History of Rodney Hulin - Human Rights WatchHuman Rights WatchHuman Rights Watch is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Its headquarters are in New York City and it has offices in Berlin, Beirut, Brussels, Chicago, Geneva, Johannesburg, London, Los Angeles, Moscow, Paris, San Francisco, Tokyo,...