Susan Dee Reddick, an inmate of Travis County Jail, suffered an injury that was categorized as an accident in a custodial death report prepared by the Travis County Sheriff’s Department. She was transported to a hospital and underwent a series of surgeries. Tragically, Ms. Reddick died at the age of 45 on February 26th, 2021. 

Suicide prevention is another matter of importance in Texas county jails. There is a strain on many county budgets resulting in a shortage of jail staff. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) requires jails to keep the appropriate number of staff on the job around the clock. An area that tends to be neglected consistently when there is a deficit of jail employees is diligence in supervising inmates. 

The leading cause of death in many jails is suicide, and prevention measures are crucial. It is always alarming to see that non-compliant county jails often fail to provide at-risk inmates with the consistency of frequent observation checks. One example is found in a recent jail inspection report, and details follow.

Jail Inspection Report Dated October 7, 2021

Under Texas RULE §273.6 (3) – Restraints, county jails are required to ensure that jail staff conducts an observation check of inmates being held in a restraint system every 15 minutes.

• An inspector with TCJS noted that documentation related to the restraint chair showed that observation checks exceeded the 15-minute time frame by 1 to 15 minutes on multiple occasions.

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

This website has no intention of suggesting that a person or entity has been a participant in any type of wrongdoing. Posts are provided to help prisoners who are or have been incarcerated in a county jail in Texas.

–Guest Contributor