Matthew Ray Maxwell died in the custody of Wichita County Jail when he died at age 32 on April 1, 2022. The address of Wichita County Jail is 2815 Central Freeway East, Wichita, TX 76302. The Wichita County Sheriff’s Office filed the custodial death report (CDR) on Mr. Maxwell on April 7, 2022.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) provides the operational procedures that guide Texas county jails. Many of the requirements are directly related to safety, including measures protecting suicidal inmates from self-harm. The protection of at-risk inmates is addressed at the time of booking. The intake procedure is handled by an individual who is required to be provided with additional training, such as how to identify mentally ill and potentially suicidal prisoners.

Because the training of jailers is integral to the success of suicide prevention in jails, it is always disheartening to find that such training is missing. During annual jail inspections, documentation is reviewed, including records that show completed training courses. In a jail inspection report dated January 5, 2022, it was discovered that Jim Hogg County Jail in Hebbronville, Texas, has allegedly been non-compliant as regards training. Details follow.

Jailers in a Texas County Jail Lack Required Training

Rule §273.5 (a)(1) -Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan is a minimum jail standard requiring provisions to be made for staff training. Jailers must be equipped to recognize, supervise, document, and handle county prisoners who have mental disabilities and/or suicidal ideations. The jailers who are responsible for intake screening must have supplemental training, as well.

Learn more in this continuing series.

This website never has an intention um implicating that persons or entities have engaged in misdeeds. This site’s posts are intended as helpful resources that will benefit county jail inmates in Texas.

–Guest Contributor