Matthew Ray Maxwell exhibited medical problems when, on March 28, 2022, he was booked into Wichita County Jail in Wichita Falls, Texas. Thirty-two-year-old Matthew Maxwell died on his fourth day as a Wichita County Jail inmate. He had been moved to a hospital before being pronounced dead on April 1, 2022.

Alleged Noncompliance – Rains County Jail in Emory, Texas

RULE §273.5(a)(2) – Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan-Identification

The county jail requirement under this rule necessitates training. Jailers involved in the booking process must identify inmates who are either recognized as or observed to be potentially suicidal and/or mentally disabled. When such identification has been made, referrals must be made to available mental health officials.

• The inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) says that the Rains County Jail staff failed to comply with the requirement of notifying a magistrate within 12 hours of an individual being identified as either suicidal or mentally disabled.

RULE §273.5(c)(2) – Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan- Mental Health/Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities History Check

Under this specific rule, the record of each inmate must be checked against the Department of State Health Services CCQ system for the purpose of determining if the inmate has previously been a recipient of state mental health care. Exceptions are if the inmate is being housed from out of state or is a federal inmate on a contractual basis.

• Members of the jail staff did not check multiple inmates against the CCQ system as required.

RULE §275.1-Regular Observation by Jailers

Inmates who are mentally ill, potentially suicidal, assaultive, or have demonstrated bizarre behavior must be placed for face-to-face observation by jailers every 30 minutes.

• Records show that inmates who must be observed every 30 minutes are not being given face-to-face observations in the required time frame. Instead, in-person inmate observations throughout the facility are conducted every 60 minutes.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this five-part series.

Implicating individuals or institutions in acts of wrongdoing is not an intention on this website. Each post is intended as a helpful resource that could benefit inmates in county jails in Texas.

–Guest Contributor