Rodney Hulin Jr. (March 2, 1978 – May 9, 1996) became a symbol of a movement that advocated against placing juvenile offenders in adult prisons because he was repeatedly raped and died of

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

there. Hulin was imprisoned at the age of 17 in the Clemens Unit, an adult prison facility, in unincorporated

Brazoria County, Texas Brazoria County ( ) is a county in the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, the population of the county was 372,031. The county seat is Angleton. Brazoria County is included in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metropolitan stat ...

(

Greater Houston Greater Houston, designated by the Office of Management and Budget, United States Office of Management and Budget as Houston–Pasadena–The Woodlands, is the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fifth-most populous metropolitan statistical ...

) after illegally starting a fire. He was repeatedly raped in the prison and fatally injured himself there on January 26, 1996. He died from his injuries about three months later, on May 9th. In 1998, the state settled a lawsuit about their failure to protect Hulin after he reported the rapes. The state did not prosecute the inmates who raped Hulin.

Crime and sentence

Hulin entered the

Texas Department of Criminal Justice The Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) is a department of the government of the U.S. state of Texas. The TDCJ is responsible for statewide criminal justice for adult offenders, including managing offenders in state prisons, state jails ...

(TDCJ) system after setting trash on fire. Hulin produced

Molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see '') is a hand-thrown incendiary weapon consisting of a frangible container filled with flammable substances and equipped with a Fuse (explosives), fuse (typically a glass bottle filled wit ...

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." At the time of his arrest, Hulin was one month shy of his 17th birthday, and thus was considered a minor under Texas law.Berryhill, Michael. "What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?" ''

Houston Press The ''Houston Press'' is an online newspaper published in Houston, Texas, United States. It is headquartered in the Midtown Houston, Midtown area. It was also a weekly print newspaper until November 2017. The publication is supported entirely ...

''. August 7, 1997
3Archive
. Retrieved on January 17, 2010. However, a 17-year-old under Texas law is considered to be an adult in the state penal system. 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, or he could choose 8 years in prison with the possibility of parole after two years. Hulin chose the latter option.Berryhill, Michael. "What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?" ''

''. August 7, 1997
4Archive
. Retrieved on January 17, 2010. Hulin spent six months in the Randall County Jail in

Amarillo, Texas Amarillo ( ; Spanish language, Spanish for "yellow") is a city in the U.S. state of Texas and the county seat of Potter County, Texas, Potter County, though most of the southern half of the city extends into Randall County, Texas, Randall County ...

and three months in the Middleton Unit in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor County, Texas, Taylor and Jones County, Texas, Jones counties, Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan ar ...

. He did not report any problems while incarcerated in the two institutions.Berryhill, Michael. "What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?" ''

''. August 7, 1997
1Archive
. Retrieved on January 17, 2010. 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.

Suicide

In November 1995, Hulin was transferred to the Clemens Unit in unincorporated

. He 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, sometimes referred to as oral intercourse, is sexual activity involving the stimulation of the genitalia of a person by another person using the mouth (including the lips, tongue, or teeth). Cunnilingus is oral sex performed on the vu ...

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 The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of '' Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the im ...

test, which produced a negative result.Berryhill, Michael. "What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?" ''

''. August 7, 1997
5Archive
. Retrieved on January 17, 2010. Hulin's father stated that Hulin weighed and was tall. EllisUnitTX

On January 26, 1996, Hulin attempted to kill himself.Berryhill, Michael. "What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?" ''

''. August 7, 1997
6Archive
. Retrieved on January 17, 2010. Hulin was seriously injured and was taken to a Brazoria County area hospital, where medical personnel restored his heartbeat. He was transferred to the prison unit of the

John Sealy Hospital __NOTOC__ John Sealy Hospital is a hospital that is a part of the University of Texas Medical Branch complex in Galveston, Texas, United States. History Sealy opened on January 10, 1890. It was founded by the widow and brother of one of the rich ...

Galveston, Texas Galveston ( ) is a Gulf Coast of the United States, coastal resort town, resort city and port off the Southeast Texas coast on Galveston Island and Pelican Island (Texas), Pelican Island in the U.S. state of Texas. The community of , with a pop ...

and then to the Texas Department of Criminal Justice portion of

University of Texas Medical Branch The University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) is a Public university, public Academic health science centre, academic health science center in Galveston, Texas, United States. It is part of the University of Texas System. UTMB includes the olde ...

(known as Hospital Galveston) in Galveston.Berryhill, Michael. "What Really Happened To Rodeny Hulin?" ''

''. August 7, 1997
7Archive
. Retrieved on January 17, 2010. Hulin became 18 years old while in the hospital, at which point he was transferred to the

Ellis Unit O. B. Ellis Unit (E1, previously Ellis I Unit) is a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison located in unincorporated area, unincorporated Walker County, Texas, north of Huntsville, Texas, Huntsville. The unit, with about of space,‌ now h ...

in unincorporated

Walker County, Texas Walker County is a county located in the east-central section of the U.S. state of Texas. As of the 2020 census, its population was 76,400. Its county seat is Huntsville. Initially, Walker County was named for Robert J. Walker, a legislato ...

. 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 A nursing home is a facility for the residential care of older people, senior citizens, or disabled people. Nursing homes may also be referred to as care homes, skilled nursing facilities (SNF), or long-term care facilities. Often, these terms ...

on May 11, 1996. Hulin died of his injuries on the evening of May 9, 1996 before he could be transferred to the nursing home.

Aftermath

Hulin's parents filed a lawsuit against the

, 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.

Human Rights Watch Human Rights Watch (HRW) is an international non-governmental organization that conducts research and advocacy on human rights. Headquartered in New York City, the group investigates and reports on issues including War crime, war crimes, crim ...

stated that the names of the rapists were known and "witnesses were said to be available".Mariner, Joanne. ''No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons''.

, 2001
62
, . He became a symbol of a movement that advocated not placing juvenile offenders in adult institutions. Michael Berryhill of the ''

'' stated that there was "irony in ulinbecoming a symbol of a cause that likely wouldn't have helped him".

References

* '' No Escape: Male Rape in U.S. Prisons''.

, 2001. , 9781564322586.

Notes

External links

Case History of Rodney Hulin
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