A long-running list of complaints against the jail system in a large city outside of Texas was aired out in a news story this week. Detainees allegedly face subhuman conditions even if they have a short stay in one of these jails. Inmates have been subjected to cruel and unusual treatment for years, says a watchdog group, but conditions have allegedly worsened.

The practices used in the jails allegedly subject inmates to the following conditions on a routine basis: Mentally ill individuals are chained or handcuffed to chairs for a span of days with no access to toilets, drinking water, showers, medication, or adequate ventilation. They sleep on the floor in the inmate reception center amid one another’s excrement with no blankets or mattresses.

These barbaric practices are allegedly concealed by moving new arrivals to places that are out of view, such as corridors.

A couple of supervisors on the Board discussed proposals that involved transferring thousands of inmates to supportive housing, community mental health clinics, or state prison. The essence of the proposals had been approved by voters in a county ballot measure two years earlier, but the motion was long and seemed to be muddled. An opposing group sent up red flags that caused alarm.

Learn more in this continuing series.

Helping Texas jail detainees and their families with resources is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention of suggesting that people or organizations have been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor