Victor Rene Gonzales had been incarcerated in the Travis County Jail in Austin, Texas, for 17 days when he died on September 4, 2022, in the jail’s custody. On the day prior to his death, a post officer at the jail observed Mr. Gonzales lying on the floor of the single-occupancy cell where he was housed. He appeared to be alert, conscious, and scratching himself. He informed the post officer that he was having difficulty breathing, but he couldn’t explain the reason for it.

Following the Death of Sandra Bland, Waller County Jail is Cited for Failing to Observe Inmates as Required

Under Rule §275.1-Regular Observation by Jailers, the appropriate number of jailers must be in the jail facility 24/7. Face-to-face observations of inmates must be conducted and documented every 60 minutes at most. In areas of the jail where assaultive, mentally ill, and potentially suicidal inmates are housed, face-to-face observations must be conducted in increments not to exceed every 30 minutes.

Other aspects of this rule include a requirement to provide at all times a two-way voice interaction capability between county and city jail prisoners and bailiffs, licensed peace officers, jailers, and designated staff. Closed circuit television may be used but cannot replace the requirement of providing face-to-face observations.

An inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) found that the required 60-minute face-to-face observations of inmates were not being completed.

The Waller Sheriff’s Office released a video showing that the hallway leading to Sandra Bland’s cell had no activity for approximately 90 minutes before her body was discovered at 9:00 AM on July 13, 2015.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this ongoing series.

Providing helpful information to prisoners detained in a county or municipal Texas jail is this website’s purpose. Suggesting that an organization or person has been a participant in misdeeds is never an intention on this site.

–Guest Contributor