Fifty-three-year-old Anne Elizabeth Murphy was booked into Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, on November 8, 2021. On December 1, 2021, fellow inmates reported that she was in need of medical help. Ms. Murphy received emergency help and was transported to a nearby hospital but, tragically, was pronounced dead that same day.

Non-Compliance: §273.6 – Restraints continued

Rule 273.6  states that when restraints are used, they must be used in a humane manner. Restraints cannot be used as a form of punishment but can only be used to prevent injury. Jail staff members are required to observe inmates in restraints every 15 minutes, and that time cannot be exceeded. The blood circulation of inmates must be checked every quarter-hour to ensure that the extremities are not cut off from circulation.

The TCJS inspector found in restraint chair documentation that jail staff exceeded the required checks of no longer than 15 minutes between each observation. The violations were between 1 to 5 minutes in length, and they occurred on multiple occasions.

Restraint Chairs

Anytime restraints are used in jails, it is required to use the least restrictive type of restraint that will mitigate the danger. The last resort, when an inmate cannot be controlled by other types of restraints, is the restraint chair. An inmate in a restraint chair is immobilized. The ankles and wrists are held in place in the chair, and the chest and torso are restrained using straps.

Learn more in Part 1 and this ongoing series.

Making an implication that an individual or organization has been involved in wrongdoing is never intended on this website. Each post is intended as a helpful resource to benefit inmates now or previously incarcerated in a Texas county jail.

–Guest Contributor