Crosby County Jail is Cited for Non-Compliance
Crosby County Jail in Crosbyton, Texas, has recently been added to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) website due to noncompliance. A special jail inspection on September 5, 2024, found that Crosby County Jail was in violation of one minimum jail standard, namely Rule §273.5-Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan, which is in the chapter that addresses Health Services. The rule’s purpose is to identify detainees who are known or observed to be potentially suicidal or mentally disabled.
TCJS inspectors made the following note with regard to Crosby County Jail’s noncompliance:
- Inmate medical files were reviewed, and it was discovered that, on 2 of 5 occasions when warranted by the Continuity of Care Query (CCQ) return, staff failed to notify the magistrate by 70 hours to 27 days.
Crosby County Jail’s address is 201 W Aspen Street in Crosbyton, Texas 79322. The jail has a bed capacity of 11.
The Crosbyton TX Jail Fails to Provide Suicide Training to Jail Staff
Other recent jail inspections that Crosby County Jail failed occurred in 2020 and 2018, when the jail failed two inspections. Many times, after custodial deaths occur in non-compliant jails, TCJS inspectors find that a death is potentially associated with a rule violation. Lack of proper supervision of inmates is a frequent violation discovered after inmate deaths in Texas jails.
One of two areas of non-compliance discovered at Crosby County Jail in 2020 was the failure to provide jail staff with annual suicide training. Especially considering that suicide is the leading cause of death in jails, failing to provide jail staff with training on suicide prevention can directly contribute to preventable deaths.
A 21-Year-Old Dies by Suicide in January 2024
The death of a 21-year-old in the Universal City, Texas, jail on January 23, 2024, occurred 4 hours after he went through intake. To consider the death preventable is not a stretch. Suicide prevention training of jail staff includes information about recognizing and responding to detainees at risk for suicide. A blatant indicator is that any inmate is potentially a suicide risk on the first day of incarceration, considering that approximately 22% of jail suicides occur in the first 24 hours. Giving potentially suicidal inmates access to items easily used to fashion a ligature makes no sense. More than 90% of jail suicides result from hanging.
- The summary of how the young man died in the Universal City jail in Bexar County says that an officer was conducting a cell check and observed that the detainee was on the floor with a cord wrapped around his neck and foam coming out of his mouth.
Seeking Help for Jail Neglect or Abuse?
Incarceration in a county or municipal jail does not mean your basic rights disappear. If detainees face mistreatment, like being denied medical care, it’s crucial that those responsible are held accountable.
Have you lost a loved one in a Texas jail and suspect that neglect was a factor in their death? Or were you previously incarcerated in a county or municipal jail and suffered severe injuries due to negligence? If so, we may be able to help. The Law Offices of Dean Malone are dedicated to addressing custodial death cases, using years of experience to provide focused legal representation. We are available 24/7. Contact us by phone, text, or through our online form to arrange a free case evaluation.
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