Attorney for Jail Medical Care Denial – The Texas Commission on Jail Standards Discovers Alleged Potential Dangers at San Patricio County Jail in Sinton, Texas – Part 2

A January 4, 2018, Jail Inspection Report details alleged violations of minimum jail standards at San Patricio County Jail in Sinton, Texas. The report was prepared by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) after performing an unscheduled investigation. Allegedly, the jail violated five minimum jail standards, and at least four of them involve potential danger to prisoners.

One of the alleged violations was related to the requirement that prisoners confined in a detoxification or holding cell are observed by jail personnel every 30 minutes at most. Inspectors who reviewed documentation of prisoner observations in detox and holding cells reported the discovery that jail staff exceeded the 30-minute requirement on a consistent basis. Since these observations are intended to prevent prisoners from harm, the lack of diligence is cause for concern.

County jails are required to keep up with preventative maintenance, which includes making necessary repairs and ensuring that the facility is sanitary, safe, and secure. Inspectors with TCJS reported that numerous issues were found which provided evidence that preventative maintenance is being neglected. Among the hazards reported are the following:

• In wet areas, parts of the concrete and metal walls were rusted through or chipped away. This has made pipe chases and other cell areas accessible to multiple cells.
• The jail environment was reported as being substandard and not compliant with the requirement to provide a sanitary place for prisoners, though a slight improvement over other recent visits.

Read more about alleged potential hazards at San Patricio County Jail in part one of this two-part series.

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–Guest Contributor

Written By: smchugh

smchugh