Torry Lamont Newman was booked into Smith County Jail on January 27, 2022. On February 18, 2022—the day of his death–he was discovered unresponsive in the detox cell where he was housed at 206 E. Elm Street, Tyler, Texas, 75702, the address of Smith County Jail. Mr. Newman was 46 years old when he died.

Smith County Jail is Cited for Non-Compliance with Minimum Jail Standards in 2021

In a jail inspection report dated June 21-23, 2021, Smith County Jail was found non-compliant with six minimum jail standards. Operational requirements for Texas county jails are established by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). The rules cited on the report and inspector’s notes are as follows, to be continued in the next installment of this series:

Rule §263.50–Emergency Electrical Power

• During the inspection, the TCJS inspector found that the Smith County Jail’s smoke management system failed to operate while under emergency power.

Rule §265.10–Inmate Property Checking

• When inmate files were reviewed, it was discovered that multiple property records were blank and void of required signatures from the inmate and the receiving officer.

Rule  §277.2—Laundering

• The inspection revealed that inmates are not being provided with a weekly change of clothing, as required.

Rule §277.9–Laundering of Bedding and Linens

• At least once weekly, inmates’ washable items are supposed to be exchanged for clean replacements. The inspection revealed that this is not taking place.

Learn more in this ongoing series.

There is no intention on this website to make an inference that wrongdoing has occurred on the part of persons or institutions. The purpose of posts on this site is to provide assistance to Texas county jail inmates.

–Guest Contributor