When Austin, Texas, news was published about the tragic death of Travis County Jail inmate Israel Resendiz Molina, the spokesperson for the Travis County Sheriff’s Department released a statement. The jail entry date of January 10, 2023, and the in-custody death of Mr. Molina at age 47 just four days later were mentioned. It was also stated that the custodial death will be investigated, as is customary, by the sheriff’s office with the involvement of the criminal investigations unit, the internal affairs unit, the Travis County Medical Examiner’s Office, and the Texas Rangers.

Travis County Jail is Cited for Non-Compliance with Minimum Standards

In a jail inspection report dated May 26-28, 2021, Travis County Jail is cited for one alleged violation of minimum jail standards. The report lists jail standard §285.1-Physical Exercise as the area in which a violation allegedly occurred. This is in the chapter on recreation and exercise.

§285.1-Physical Exercise

Texas county jails must establish and implement a TCJS-approved plan for providing inmates with physical recreation and physical exercise. These inmate activities must be documented, and the documentation must be maintained for Commission review. At least three days per week, each inmate must be allowed one hour of supervised physical recreation or physical exercise.

• TCJS inspectors reviewed the recreation logs for Travis County Jail, and they were not able to identify which inmates had been provided with the mandatory hour of supervised recreation three days per week. On multiple logs throughout the jail complex, documentation on physical exercise did not indicate, dates, times, duration, or refusals of physical activity.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.

This website has been established as an ongoing resource that can be of help to Texas inmates incarcerated in local jurisdictions, both county and municipal. There is never an intention of implicating institutions or individuals in acts of wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor