Gray County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection
The Gray County jail, in Pampa, Texas, failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). The Gray County jail was thus listed as being non-compliant by the TCJS. Gray County Judge Chris Porter and Sheriff Michael Ryan were provided written notice of the jail’s failure to comply.
The TCJS inspector found, when reviewing training records, that Gray County jail staff did not document training during the second quarter of calendar year 2022 for fire drills and SCBA. The TCJS inspector instructed staff to ensure that training was completed once per calendar quarter in accordance with minimum jail standards.
Further, the TCJS inspector determined, when reviewing life safety documentation, that quarterly fire prevention training was not completed during the prior 12 months. The TCJS inspector instructed staff to complete a fire hazard inspection checklist, which would be evaluated no less than each calendar quarter. The inspector also found, when reviewing the ANSUL Hood system, that there was not inspection documentation showing an inspection since October 15, 2021.
Turning to potentially more serious issues, the inspector determined, when reviewing medication administration records for inmates, that medication apparently had not been distributed to one or more inmates as required by prescribing physician on several occasions. The TCJS inspector determined that Gray County jail’s documentation was not consistently broken down to list when an inmate received or refused each individual prescribed medication. The TCJS inspector prescribed remedial measures.
The TCJS inspector also found, when reviewing Gray County jail restraint logs, that jail staff exceeded the 15-minute observation checks required by Texas jail standards by as little as one minute and by as many as 10 minutes on multiple occasions. This could lead to serious injury or death.
Finally, the TCJS inspector received an investigative report for a custodial death that had occurred at the Gray County jail in June 2021. The TCJS determined that the intake jailer told a Texas Ranger that the deceased inmate was under the influence of methamphetamine upon booking. However, this was not noted on the Screening Form for Suicide and Medical/Mental/Developmental Impairments. Additionally, the Rangers report indicated that the jailer supposedly believed that he had marked “yes” to the question “Does the inmate appear to be under the influence of drugs or alcohol?,” but the form was marked “no.” Finally, the jailer stated he did not ask the inmate all the questions on the Screening Form for Suicide and Medical/Mental/Developmental Impairments. The TCJS inspector required follow up of Gray County jail administration, specifically training with staff on proper completion of the screening form for Suicide and Medical/Mental/Developmental Impairments and to provide documentation of such training to the inspector within the following 30 days.
Dean Malone
Dean Malone