In Midland, Texas, a Deputy with Midland County was attempting to place 14-year-old Juan Herrera under arrest on March 3, 2022. Herrera tried to flee the scene. During a brief pursuit on foot, a Midland County Deputy used his firearm to shoot Herrera, who died from the wounds he sustained. According to the custodial death report about Herrera’s pre-custodial death, the location of the police shooting was a parking lot or garage at 5501 Sherwood Way in Midland, Texas 79701.

Restraints have been approved by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) for use in county jails. Watchdog groups monitor jail activities, and one matter these watchdog groups look for is evidence that inmates who are held in restraints are provided with enhanced supervision. More information follows:

RULE §273.6 (3)—Restraints

This minimum jail standard requires that documented observations of inmates who are in restraints must be conducted in intervals that do not exceed every 15 minutes. The observations must include an assessment of the blood circulation of the individual’s extremities and the security of the restraints.

• A jail inspection report dated December 16, 2020, alleges that Uvalde County Jail is non-compliant with the rule cited above. The TCJS inspector wrote on the report that the 15-minute observations of inmates held in a restraint chair were not conducted by jailers.

Learn more in this ongoing series.

There is never an intent on this website to infer that persons or institutions have participated in wrongdoing. Providing assistance to inmates by posting helpful information is the purpose of the posts on this site.

–Guest Contributor