A Nueces County Detainee Found in an Altered Mental State Dies-4
Next on October 27, 2023, emergency medical services (EMS) was contacted to transport Nueces County Jail detainee Richard Gonzalez to a hospital for further evaluation. Nueces County Jail contacted emergency medical services (EMS), and Medic 1 arrived. The ambulance transported Mr. Gonzalez to Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital located at 600 Elizabeth St, Corpus Christi TX 78404. He was left to the hospital’s care.
Nueces County Jail is Cited for Noncompliance with Rule §259.138(a)
An inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) made the following notes in the jail inspection report issued to Nueces County Jail in 2021. All were about the violation of Rule §259.138(a)-Holding Cells, in which detainees were held for longer than 48 hours.
In the jail inspection report dated June 14-15, 2021, TCJS Inspector Jennifer Shumake indicated the following:
- On the dates of the inspection, it was determined that several inmates were held in holding cells for more than 48 hours.
Does Overcrowding Contribute to Jail Deaths in Texas Counties?
It is widely believed that supervision is key to suicide prevention. For that reason, the protocol in many Texas jails for detainees who are extreme risks for suicide is to observe them every 15 minutes at most. When overcrowding is an issue, jailers tend to miss observation rounds on a frequent and consistent basis. Jails do not demonstrate careful attention to suicide prevention measures when they fail to provide face to face observations in the intervals set by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS).
During annual TCJS inspections and special inspections, Texas county jails are frequently found to be noncompliant with rules establishing observation rounds.
Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this ongoing series.
Helping Texas jail detainees and their families with resources is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention of intimating that individuals or entities have been involved in wrongs.
–Guest Contributor
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