Matthew Ray Maxwell was housed in a single-occupancy cell after entering Wichita County Jail, Wichita Falls, Texas. He died on April 1, 2022, and the custodial death report (CDR) filed by the Wichita County Sheriff’s Office shows that he was complaining of stomach pain that day. He was then moved to the medical separation unit for observation. While medication was being provided, Mr. Maxwell became unresponsive. He was transported to the United Regional Health Care System in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he was pronounced dead.

Alleged Noncompliance – Rule §275.1-Regular Observation by Jailers

An inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) prepared a jail inspection report on alleged noncompliance of Falls County Jail in Marlin, Texas, concerning the supervision of inmates. Details follow:

• The documentation was reviewed on regular observations of inmates made by jailers, and evidence of non-compliance was found. In the area of the jail where jailers are required to conduct face-to-face observations of inmates every 60 minutes, on multiple occasions, the rounds were conducted after anywhere between 1 and 78 minutes had passed.

In a county outside Texas, the jail’s mandatory procedures for observation and direct visual supervision of inmates includes the initiation, termination, and control of observation logs. The policy behind Inmate Observation and Direct Visual Supervision states zero tolerance for harassment and sexual abuse of inmates. And, as such, inmates are subject to direct visual supervision and observation by sworn custody staff.

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this continuing series.

On this website, there is never an intention of implicating an individual or an institution in acts of wrongdoing. Aiding prisoners now or formerly detained in county jails in Texas is the intent of this site’s posts.

–Guest Contributor