The death of 23-year-old Brandon Pacheco Calzada is currently under investigation by the Texas Rangers. He was in the custody of the El Paso County Jail when he died on December 24, 2021. The cause of death is presumed to be a drug overdose, though the custodial death report shows that the results of an autopsy are pending.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has approved the use of restraint chairs in county jail facilities in Texas, though they are controversial devices. There are risks associated with a person being immobilized in a restraint chair. Whenever a restraint device is used in Texas jails, the least restrictive device necessary to adequately address the situation is supposed to be utilized. Only in the most extreme cases should a prisoner who is threatening harm to himself or others be strapped into a restraint chair.

The threat of developing blood clots is one that is acknowledged by the manufacturers of the chairs, and history shows that inmates sometimes suffer a fatal injury from a blood clot that develops while in the chair. Another danger is that blood circulation to the extremities can be cut off. TCJS addresses this threat by requiring jail staff members to observe prisoners in restraints in intervals no longer than every 15 minutes. During these observations, the inmate’s blood circulation must be checked.

Another known risk associated with the use of restraint chairs is that a pattern of abuse sometimes becomes clear in some facilities. After inmates have died following removal from or while still in a restraint chair, details emerge that reveal disturbing things. Examples include using a stun gun on prisoners while they are in the chair; failing to allow prisoners to use the restroom, therefore they become soiled with their own urine and feces; and leaving inmates in the chair without providing the required relief and medical care in two-hour intervals, as mandated.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

Making an inference of wrongdoing having occurred on the part of individuals or institutions is never intended on this website. The purpose of each post is to offer a helpful resource to inmates now and previously detained in a Texas county jail.

–Guest Contributor