Fisher County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection – Listed as Non-Compliant

The Fisher County jail, in Roby, Texas, recently failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). The TCJS conducted the inspection on January 3, 2022. The Fisher County, Texas jail is now listed as being non-compliant by the TCJS.

The TCJS inspector found that the fire marshal is not certified in accordance with Texas law. Only an individual certified by law as a fire inspector can conduct a fire safety inspection.

The TCJS inspector also found two other issues which are particularly concerning regarding situations involving prisoner neglect and indifference in other jails, based on our experience. The inspector found, when reviewing suicide prevention training, that Fisher County jail staff had not been trained annually during calendar year 2021 as required by the jail’s suicide prevention operational plan. This was particularly troubling, because the same issue was noted as a deficiency during the year 2019 annual inspection by the TCJS. It is extremely important that jailers be trained in suicide prevention, as suicide is a – if not the – leading cause of death in Texas jails. We have handled and continue to handle a number of jail suicide cases, and it is vital that Texas jailers be on the lookout for suicidal tendencies. In this regard, training is critical.

The TCJS inspector also determined when inspecting the Fisher County jail. in January 2022. that a magistrate was not notified when required by answers provided to questions on the TCJS-required Suicide and Medical/Mental/Developmental Impairments form. Once again, the TCJS had noted this as a deficiency for the Fisher County jail at the 2019 annual inspection.

It is important that a judge be notified when a prisoner is brought into a Texas county jail and has significant mental health issues. If a jail, such as the Fisher County jail, fails to do so, then potentially no one outside the jail knows or understands that an inmate with potentially suicidal tendencies is incarcerated. Hopefully no one died or was injured as a result to these deficiencies. We expect that the Fisher County jail will bring itself into compliance with Texas law.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.