Non-Compliance with Rule §273.6 (3) – Restraints

Numerous jail inspection reports could be cited as examples of alleged noncompliance regarding supervision when inmates are strapped into a restraint chair. Van Zandt County Jail in Canton, Texas, is one of three jails to be mentioned in this post that was cited for alleged violation of Rule §273.6 (3) – Restraints.

Rule §273.6 (3) describes the conditions in which inmates might be placed in a restraint chair. Inmates who exhibit behavior in which they are a danger to themselves or others must be managed appropriately so as to minimize the threat of harm or injury. Restraints are among the options, and they must be used in a humane manner if deemed necessary. Restraints must never be used to punish but rather only to prevent injury. In intervals that do not exceed every 15 minutes, inmates in restraints must be observed face-to-face by a jailer. An assessment of the security of the restraints and blood circulation to the inmates’ extremities must be part of such observations.

• During a January 25, 2021, inspection at Van Zandt County Jail, an inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) reviewed documentation in restraint chair logs. He found that, on multiple occasions, the staff exceeded the 15-minute maximum time frame for making observation checks by anywhere from 1 to 17 minutes.

A similar note for the same alleged violation was also included in a January 19-21, 2022, jail inspection report regarding Ector County Detention Center in Odessa, Texas. The same is also reflected in a March 22-24, 2022, jail inspection of Smith County Jail in Tyler, Texas.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, and this ongoing series.

This website offers resources that could be helpful to Texas inmates in city and county jails, whether currently or previously incarcerated. On this site, there is never an intention of insinuating that a person or entity has participated in wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor