Jesse Daniel Davila was a suspect in an encounter with law enforcement officers with the Edinburg Police Department in Edinburg, Texas, Hidalgo County, on January 11, 2021. Mr. Davila, age 29, was shot and killed during that incident. The custodial death report shows that he had resisted arrest and tried to injure an officer.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has approved the use of restraints in circumstances when the behavior of inmates threatens harm to themselves or others. Restraint chairs are among the approved restraint devices. Continuing from earlier references to a study done on the use of force by and against the police, the following is information about restraints.

Restraints

The study included a survey form listing only three types of restraints, those being handcuffs, leg cuffs, and more severe restraints, including hobbles or body cuffs. As a result of the survey, it appears that restraints are frequently but not universally used. Handcuffs are predominant, but in approximately 1.3% of the arrests, more severe restraints were used. Applying handcuffs is not typically considered an act that involves force. Our understanding of force is associated with suspects being injured and, in some circumstances, even killed. 

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

There is no intention on this website to make an implication of misdeeds having been done on the part of anyone or any entity. This site provides information intended as helpful resources to help inmates now or previously incarcerated in Texas at a county jail.

–Guest Contributor