Multiple Texas County Jails are Non-Compliant with Restraint Chair Supervision Requirements

Whether due to overcrowding, understaffing, or other circumstances, Smith County Jail is certainly not in a minority in connection with non-compliance with requirements for the supervision of inmates in restraint chairs. In 2021 and 2022 alone, quite a few jails have also been cited for restraint chair supervision violations.

Van Zandt Count Jail is Non-Compliant with Observation Checks of Inmates in Restraint Chairs

Van Zandt County Jail is located at 1220 W Dallas St, Canton TX 75103. In a jail inspection report dated January 25, 2021, the jail was cited in connection with staff supervision and the rule below.

Rule §273.6(3)-Restraints. Under Health Services, guidelines related to supervision while an inmate is in restraints are detailed. Whether in a restraint chair or another restraint device, an inmate who is restrained must be observed face-to-face for assessment of the security of the restraints and to ensure that blood circulation to the inmate’s extremities has not been cut off. These observations must be made in time increments not to exceed every 15 minutes.

The general rule for restraints is that they should be used on inmates who are a danger to themselves or others. Restraints are used to manage such inmates in a manner that minimizes the threat of harm or injury. When restraints have been determined to be necessary, they must be used in a humane manner and only to prevent injury. Restraints must not be used as a punitive measure.

• When the inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) reviewed restraint chair logs, he found that jail staff repeatedly exceeded the required time frame of every 15 minutes by anywhere from 1 to 17 minutes.

See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this continuing series.

Helping Texas prisoners detained in municipal or county jails is the reason this website was established. There is no intention on this site of making implications against institutions or individuals in connection with wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor