Bobbie Jo Thompson, age 53, entered Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, on February 3, 2021. She died of illness/natural causes, according to the Custodial Death Report. Ms. Thompson had been moved to St. Joseph Hospital, where her death was pronounced by a medical provider on July 20, 2021.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) sets the standards by which county jails in Texas must operate. Enforcement is primarily achieved through annual jail inspections and following up when a jail is found to be non-compliant on one or more rules in the Texas Administrative Code.

The following are some details on non-compliance in a jail inspection report dated June 14-15, 2021.

RULE §259.138 – Holding Cells

A TCJS inspector cited Section 258.138 (a) in a jail inspection report for a county jail in Texas. This rule states, first, that a holding cell must be provided to detain inmates pending identification, court appearance, booking, a housing assignment, discharge, or for other reasons requiring temporary housing. Secondly, the rule says that 48 hours is the maximum amount of time in which an inmate can be held in a holding cell.

• The TCJS inspector reported that several inmates were held for longer than 48 hours in a holding cell on the dates of inspection.

In this continuing series, learn about the requirements for holding cells and possible indications why they are not appropriate for holding inmates longer than 48 hours.

There is no intention on this website to make implications of wrongdoing on the part of persons or institutions. The purpose of all posts on this site is to help inmates currently or previously detained in Texas county jails.

–Guest Contributor