After being booked into Tarrant County Jail at 4:53 a.m. on August 1, 2023, detainee Derreal Jackson was in standard housing until 5:10 a.m. At that time, Detention Officer Etumnu conducted a face-to-face check and discovered that Mr. Jackson was unresponsive. The timeline conveyed in the summary of how the death occurred suggests that there may have been an error in recording either the date of entry or the date of his death after being in the Fort Worth jail.

RULE §259.134-Multiple Occupancy Cells

Multiple occupancy cells shall contain two to eight bunks and not less than 40 square feet of clear floor space for the first bunk plus 18 square feet of clear floor space for each additional bunk. Each multiple occupancy cell shall have one toilet and lavatory. Multiple occupancy cells should not be provided in direct supervision facilities.

• During the investigation of a complaint related to overcrowding, it was discovered that Leon County has 9 inmates housed in area H, which is a multiple occupancy cell and may not exceed 8 inmates.

RULE §271.1-Objective Classification Plan

Though the jail inspection report shows that Leon County Jail violated Rule §271.1, the rule as written in the report is found under §271.6. Female inmates shall be separated by sight and sound from male inmates. When under direct, visual, and proximate supervision, males and females may simultaneously participate in work and program activities.

• During the investigation of a complaint related to overcrowding, it was discovered that Leon County housed females in areas E and F, in close proximity to male inmates.

RULE §275.4-Staff

Inmates shall be supervised by an adequate number of jailers to comply with state law and this chapter. One jailer shall be provided on each floor of the facility where 10 or more inmates are housed, with no less than 1 jailer per 48 inmates or increment thereof on each floor for direct inmate supervision. This jailer shall provide documented visual inmate supervision not less than once every 60 minutes. Sufficient staff to include supervisors, jailers, and other essential personnel as accepted by the Commission shall be provided to perform required functions. A plan concurred in by both commissioners’ court and sheriff’s office, which provides for adequate and reasonable staffing of a facility, may be submitted to the Commission for approval. This rule shall not preclude the Texas Commission on Jail Standards from requiring staffing in excess of minimum requirements when deemed necessary to provide a safe, suitable, and sanitary facility nor preclude submission of variance requests as provided by statute or Chapter 299 of this title.

• During the investigation of a complaint related to overcrowding, it was discovered that Leon County did not meet the 1:48 ratio of staff to inmates.

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this continuing series.

One of the purposes of this website is to provide resources is to help Texas inmates who have been incarcerated in local county and municipal jails in the state. There is never an intention of implicating an individual or institution in connection with misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor