Victoria Margaret Simon was an inmate of Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, when she died at age 42 on October 2, 2022. It was her fourth day of incarceration, and her cause of death is unknown and pending the results of an autopsy.

Out-of-State Restraint Policies in Deschutes County, Oregon, Continued

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office in Oregon provides details about restraints and the proper procedures for using them in jails for their intended purposes. The purpose of restraints is to provide a humane and practical method for handling violent inmates with a reduced risk of causing physical or psychological trauma. Using restraints involves a much lower level of force than using batons, kicks, punches, chemical agents, or tasers.

Only deputies with appropriate training may use approved restraints in areas in which they have been trained. Deputies may apply restraint devices to inmates per Sheriff’s Office policies and manufacturer guidelines. The various restraints may only be used for their intended purpose and only for as long as necessary to serve that purpose. The following are approved restraints for use in corrections settings:

• Handcuffs
• Belly chains
• Emergency Restraint Chair (equipped with either soft or hard restraints)
• Multiple-person transport chains
• Leg irons
• Leg restraints
• Anti-spit device aka spit hood
• The WRAP
• Hobble tether
• Soft helmet (for use with WRAP and the emergency restraint chair)
• Humane Tether
• Leg brace

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this ongoing series.

This website is meant as a resource for Texas inmates detained in county and city jails throughout the state. Accusing institutions or individuals of misdeeds is never an intention on this site.

–Guest Contributor