Collingsworth County Jail in Wellington, Texas, Allegedly Fails to Meet 2 Minimum Jail Standards
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) recently concluded an inspection and Jail Inspection Report for Collingsworth County Jail in Wellington, Texas. The report was released on September 19, 2017, and revealed two alleged violations of minimum jail standards. On the day of the inspection, it was discovered that the last time there was a Fire Marshal inspection was allegedly on January 8, 2016. This was well past the one-year mark and a direct violation of minimum jail standards, which require annual inspections by a local fire official. Inspectors also found that the last Health Inspection was allegedly conducted in February 2016, which was also well past the one-year mark. Minimum jail standards require that food preparation areas be inspected at least annually by health authorities.
It’s not difficult to see the importance of these types of requirements. If a fire were to break out or something was wrong with the food, inmates could be harmed. Being incarcerated should not subject individuals to unsafe environments.
When custodial deaths occur, investigations are done to determine whether there was any negligence on the part of jail staff that led to the fatality. One example is the jail suicide of Eugene Ethridge Jr. He died in November 2015, after hanging himself from a bed sheet in a jail cell in Fort Bend County, Texas. The family has sued Fort Bend County and some of its employees in connection with his death. They claim that the jail personnel failed to make cell checks at the required intervals. Failure to make routine checks on inmates is often associated with custodial deaths; and they always show the importance of maintaining jail standards, which are designed to keep inmates and staff members safe.
As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.
–Guest Contributor
smchugh
smchugh