Grimes County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection
Grimes County Jail is among the non-compliant jails currently listed on the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) website. In an October 23, 2023, notice of noncompliance, Grimes County Jail is advised of the results of a special jail inspection conducted on the same day. The Anderson, Texas, jail has been cited for an alleged violation of one minimum jail standard. The address of Grimes County Jail is 382 FM 149, Anderson, TX 77830. The jail has a 111-bed capacity.
Grimes County Jail is Cited for Non-Compliance with Rule §275.1- Regular Observation by Jailers
Rule §275.1- Regular Observation by Jailers is in the chapter on the Supervision of Inmates, as follows:
Every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes. Observation shall be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are confined.
- The TCJS inspector’s note on noncompliance says that during the review of an escape, it was determined the inmate went unobserved for over 60 minutes before it was determined he was missing.
Obviously, this special jail inspection was initiated because a detainee escaped the premises.
According to a Grimes County website, as of January 11, 2022, the jail had passed 23 consecutive inspections. That record took a turn in 2023. In addition to the above citation in October 2023, Grimes County Jail was cited for noncompliance on January 12. This citation was also related to face-to-face observations of detainees. The rule that was violated was §273.6(3)-Restraints. The inspector’s notes follow:
- Restraint chair logs indicated that on multiple occasions staff exceeded the mandated 15-minute observation checks from between 2 and 11 minutes.
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