Seventy-year-old Raymond Harold Martinez was booked into Wise County Jail in Decatur, Texas, on Wednesday, July 17, 2023. He died eight days later on July 25, 2023, in the jail’s custody. The address of Wise County Jail is 200 Rock Ramsey, Decatur TX 76234. The jail has a 328-bed capacity.

Wise County Jail Is Cited for Noncompliance

Inspectors with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) conduct jail inspections of all local jail facilities each year. Following a jail inspection of Wise County Jail in April 2023, the Decatur jail was cited for failure to comply with Rule §273.3-Health Instructions, which is in the chapter on Health Services. The rule states that all medical instructions of designated physicians shall be followed.

• The TCJS inspector’s note regarding the citation for noncompliance indicates that blood pressure checks were not completed as ordered by the Nurse Practitioner.

Hypothetically, what could happen to a detainee who, contrary to the doctor’s orders, doesn’t have their blood pressure monitored as directed? That can be answered by understanding what blood pressure checks reveal about a person’s health condition.

A blood pressure reading has an upper number and a lower number. When people are taking their own blood pressure at home, it can take three days for a blood pressure reading to be accurate. Learn how to interpret a blood pressure reading in the next segment. This is the first of a five-part series.

One of the purposes of this site is to help local Texas jail detainees and their families by providing helpful information. There is never an intention of suggesting that a person or organization has participated in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor