Edgar Alejandro Hernandez was only 28 years old when he died in the Brownsville, Texas, municipal jail on November 29, 2022. His death came 17 hours after he was booked. The location of Brownsville Municipal Jail is 600 E. Jackson Street in Brownsville, Texas 78520 in Cameron County.

Restraints Can Cause Serious Injury

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards sets the rules regarding the way city and county jails operate in the state, including guidelines for using restraints. Potential injury is reflected in minimum jail standards.

The possibility of injury occurring is demonstrated in medical information regarding Wartenberg’s Syndrome. This condition is sometimes referred to as handcuff syndrome because it is caused by tight objects around the wrists. Wearing a watch or bracelet that is too tight can cause entrapment of the superficial branch of the radial nerve on the thumb side of the wrist, which is how Wartenberg’s Syndrome can accurately be described.

The symptoms of handcuff syndrome are sensory only, which means there is no motor involvement that affects muscle strength. Typical symptoms include pain over the forearm on the thumb side as well as paresthesia, which is numbness and the feeling of pins and needles on the back of the hand.

Learn more about the causes and symptoms of handcuff syndrome and other dangers associated with restraints in this continuing series.

This post is intended as a resource to benefit Texas inmates now or previously detained in a municipal or county jail. Insinuating that any person or entity has participated in misdeeds is never an intention.

–Guest Contributor