Freestone County Jail in Fairfield, Texas, is Cited for 3 Alleged Violations by Texas Commission on Jail Standards
On March 1, 2018, the Freestone County Jail in Fairfield, Texas, was cited for three alleged jail standard violations in a report released by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). TCJS is responsible for setting minimum jail standards and holding detention facilities such as county jails accountable when those guidelines aren’t met. Following a recent jail inspection, investigators with TCJS found that Freestone County Jail had fallen short of three separate minimum jail standards. The areas in which there was one or more alleged violations were facility maintenance, prisoner identification upon intake, and training and drills.
County jails are required to provide preventative maintenance at their facilities, to ensure a secure, sanitary, safe environment. During a walk-through of Freestone County Jail, an inspector observed that huge blankets had been hung by prisoners, which blocked the view of jailers in the trustee housing area. In addition, cleaning chemicals were discovered in cells, which are required to be locked securely in a chemical closet. Security and fire hazards were found in the form of multiple cords hanging throughout the cells. In addition, milk crates were used as storage shelves in multiple single units, which is against jail standards. Various other facility maintenance issues were reported, for seven altogether.
Documentation of jailer life safety training suggested that jailers have not received mandatory quarterly training.
Prisoner medical files were reviewed and a TCJS inspector found that mental health screening tools were not being completed in their entirety. Jailers are required to notify a magistrate when a prisoner has mental health issues, and records show that the step is being skipped.
In addition to routine inspections, an investigation is done by TCJS for potential violations of jail standards following the custodial death of a prisoner.
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