Charles Benedict had been a detainee in Nueces County Jail in Corpus Christi, Texas, for 11 days when he experienced a medical emergency and was transported to Christus Spohn Shoreline Hospital. Tragically, he died at the hospital on April 13, 2023, which was approximately 2 weeks after being booked into the Nueces County Jail.

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

In addition to the results of the 2023 jail inspection, Nueces County Jail was also cited for noncompliance with regard to the same rule about holding cells after a jail inspection that was conducted from June 21-23, 2022. It was 1 of 5 alleged areas of noncompliance with minimum jail standards. The inspector’s notes read:

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

Rule §259.138(3)-Holding Cells

In Part (3) of the same rule, information is provided about the size of holding cells and the maximum number of inmates housed there:  Cell Size. The size of the cell shall be determined by the anticipated maximum number of inmates to be confined at any one time. Cells shall be constructed to house from one to 24 inmates and shall contain not less than 40 square feet of floor space for the first inmate and 18 square feet of floor space for each additional inmate to be confined.

Learn the note left by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) inspector in the next segment of this continuing series. Also, see Part 1 and Part 2.

Helping Texas jail detainees and their families with resources is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention of suggesting that people or organizations have been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor