Falls County, Texas Jail: Failed Inspection by State Agency
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards recently determined that the Falls County jail, in Marlin, Texas, is non-compliant. Falls County is southeast of Waco, Texas
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”) inspector noted numerous violations as a result of a March 22, 2019 jail inspection. Our law firm reviews such reports frequently, and we cannot recall the last time we reviewed a TCJS report that had 14 violations (as did the Falls County report). One violation was that jail staff were not verifying the status of veterans through use of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs website or a similar service. Another violation was that prisoners in transit from U.S. Corrections are held in the facility longer than 48 hours. Further, the Falls County jail was not reassessing inmates within 30 – 90 days as required by minimum jail standards.
Further, the TCJS has a standard which requires jails to have procedures for intake screening to identify inmates who are known to be or observed to be mentally disabled and/or potentially suicidal. However, the TCJS inspector noted, while reviewing inmate medical files, that Falls County, Texas jail staff were not notifying the magistrate judge on contract out-of-county and transit inmates.
Equally troubling, the TCJS inspector noted that Falls County jailers were not making 30-minute observations as required by jail standards in areas in which prisoners are known to be mentally ill, assaultive, and/or potentially suicidal. Falls County jail staff exceeded the 30-minute requirement by as few as just one minute up to 17 minutes, continually.
Further, Falls County had 2 jailers working on the floor that did not have a jailer’s license through the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement. This is a clear requirement of TCJS standards.
Regarding food and diet, the TCJS inspector noted that the last annual health inspection for the Falls County jail was performed on April 24, 2017. Thus, the inspection was nearly two years past-due. Further, the menu had not been reviewed annually as required. The menu was last approved by a dietician on June 29, 2017.
The TCJS also noted issues including the failure of staff to notify inmates within 24 hours of the charges filed against them, and not providing an interim response to grievances within 15 days as required by minimum jail standards. Jail staff are also not offering prisoners one hour of supervised physical exercise or recreation at least three days per week, as required by minimum jail standards. Hopefully, Falls County will take seriously the TCJS report and remedy these and other problems.
Dean Malone
Dean Malone