Michael Tokos, who was a recent inmate of Jim Hogg County Jail in Hebbronville, Texas, has died and appears to have been in the jail’s custody at that time. A Jim Hogg County Jail custodial death is mentioned in a special jail inspection report dated November 21, 2022. However, a custodial death report has not been filed, though it was due within 30 days of the tragic event.

Jim Hogg County Jail is Cited for Noncompliance with Rule §273.5(a)(1)

In a jail inspection report dated January 5, 2022, Jim Hogg County Jail was cited for four alleged violations of minimum jail standards. Details on one of those alleged violations follows.

Rule §273.5(a)(1)-Training

Under guidelines for the Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan, Rule §273.5(a)(1) states that training guidelines must be established. Staff members must be trained to recognize, supervise, document, and handle inmates who are at risk either because they are potentially suicidal or they are mentally disabled. The jailers who are involved with intake screening must also receive supplemental training on these topics.

• The inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) who prepared this jail inspection report, Earnestine Sanders, noted that interviews with jail staff were conducted. The staff members said that, in the last 12 months, they have not been provided with the required Suicide Prevention Training in accordance with the Suicide Prevention Plan and Mental Disabilities Plan.

See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of the ongoing series.

This website seeks to provide resources that can be helpful to Texas inmates incarcerated in county or city jails. Making accusations that wrongdoing has occurred on the part of persons or entities is never intended on this site.

–Guest Contributor