On February 3, 2021, in Houston, Texas, Bobbie Jo Thompson, a 53-year-old female, was booked into Harris County Jail. The few details provided in the Custodial Death Report indicate that she reported that she was not feeling well on the day she returned from her court setting, which was July 20, 2021. On the same day, Ms. Thompson died after being placed on oxygen and transported to a local hospital.

To continue from the previous segment in this series, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has established the following guidelines on the construction of holding cells.

RULE §259.138 – Holding Cells

Under Part (a) of the above-referenced rule, and numbers (a) 1-5, the following are among the rules for holding cells as specified in the Texas Code:

• Each county jail must provide one or more holding cells for inmates who are pending release, processing, intake, or other reasons for temporary detainment. Forty-eight hours is the longest period of time in which inmates can be kept in a holding cell.
• Seating in holding cells must be sufficient to provide each inmate with no less than 24 linear inches when at cell capacity. Seating is in the form of stationary benches no less than 12 inches wide.
• Holding cells must be equipped with adequate lavatories, toilets, and floor drains.
• Holding cells must be built to house from 1 to 24 inmates and must contain no less than 40 square feet for the first inmate and 18 square feet of floor space for each additional inmate confined in the cell.
• The location and construction of holding cells must facilitate supervision of the area and the ability to materially reduce noise.

See Part 1 and this continuing series.

There is never an intent on this website to imply that individuals or organizations have participated in wrongdoing. Each post is added with the purpose of helping inmates, whether they are current or former prisoners, housed in county jails in Texas.

–Guest Contributor