Fifty-three-year-old Charles Benedict was booked into Nueces County Jail on March 29, 2023. Sadly, he died in the jail’s custody on April 13, 2023. The address of Nueces County Jail is 901 Leopard St, Corpus Christi, TX 78401. Nueces County Jail has a 1,020-bed capacity. The address of the medical facility where Mr. Benedict died is 600 Elizabeth, Corpus Christi TX 78404.

Nueces County Jail is Cited by TCJS for Leaving Detainees in Holding Cells for 48+ Hours

Nueces County Jail in Corpus Christi, Texas, was cited for noncompliance with three minimum jail standards after a jail inspection was conducted on June 14-15, 2021. One of those jail standards has to do with holding cells. Not only Nueces County Jail on this occasion but, frequently, other county jails in Texas are cited for failing to meet the requirements of the same rule. The following are details about the rule and the note from Jennifer Shumake, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) Inspector who conducted the inspection.

Rule §259.138(a)-Holding Cells

Under the chapter on New Construction Rules, Rule §259.138(a)-Holding Cells states that (a) One or more holding cells shall be provided to hold inmates pending intake, processing, release, or other reason for temporary holding. Inmates shall not be held for more than 48 hours, and the cell shall include the following features.

• On the dates of inspection, it was determined that several inmates were held in holding cells for more than 48 hours.

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