Cameron County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

Cameron County Jail is among the non-compliant jails currently listed on the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) website. In a December 5, 2023, notice of noncompliance, Cameron County Jail is advised of the results of a special jail inspection conducted on December 4, 2023. The Olmito, Texas, jail has been cited for the alleged violation of one minimum jail standard. This is the fourth time Cameron County Jail has been cited for non-compliance in the year 2023 and the second time this year it was cited for the rule shown below. The address of Cameron County Jail is 7100 Old Alice Road, Olmito, TX 78575. The jail, known as the Carrizales-Rucker Detention Center, can house up to 166 detainees.

Rule §275.1- Regular Observation by Jailers

Cameron County Jail has been cited for allegedly failing to comply with Rule §275.1- Regular Observation by Jailers, which is in the chapter on the Supervision of Inmates. The rule follows:

Every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes. Observation shall be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are confined.

A review of a video submitted after a custodial death revealed that twelve (12) observation rounds were not conducted within the mandated 30-minute timeframe required in the housing area. Additionally, several of the rounds were not conducted face to face as the windows to the single cells had coverings that were not lifted by the jailer to observe the detainees.

The special jail inspection report for December 2023 doesn’t provide the name of the detainee whose death prompted this fourth inspection of Cameron County Jail in 2023. This report may refer to the custodial death of Jacqueline Barosio, a 25-year-old woman. Ms. Barosio was booked into the jail at 7100 Old Alice Road, Olmito, TX 78575 on June 1, 2023, and was pronounced deceased on October 21, 2023, after being found unresponsive in her cell.

–Guest Contributor

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