Hill County Jail in Texas is now listed as a Non-Compliant Jail on the Texas Commission on Jail Inspection’s (TCJS’s) website. A Notice of Non-Compliance was sent to Hill County Jail on July 3, 2023, regarding the special jail inspection conducted on June 28, 2023. The Hillsboro, Texas, jail was cited for noncompliance with 2 minimum jail standards.

The address of the Hill County Jail is 406 Hall St, Hillsboro, TX 76645. The Hill County Jail has a 243-bed capacity.

RULE §273.6 (3)-Restraints

In the chapter about Health Services, Hill County Jail has been cited for noncompliance with Rule §273.6 (3)-Restraints. Inmates exhibiting behavior indicating that they are a danger to themselves or others shall be managed in such a way as to minimize the threat of injury or harm. If restraints are determined to be necessary, they shall be used in a humane manner, only for the prevention of injury, and not as a punitive measure.

(3) A documented observation of the inmate shall be conducted every 15 minutes, at a minimum. The observations should include an assessment of the security of the restraints and the circulation to the extremities.

• During the review of the Hill County Jail restraint chair logs, the inspector reviewed 134 entries with 17 of these entries being late in time for an error rate of 12%. Additionally, these misses ranged from 3 to 31 minutes in length of time.

RULE §275.1- Regular Observation by Jailers

In the chapter on the Supervision of Inmates, Hill County Jail has been cited for noncompliance with Rule §275.1- Regular Observation by Jailers. 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. There shall be a two-way voice communication capability between inmates and jailers, licensed peace officers, bailiffs, and designated staff at all times. Closed circuit television may be used, but not in lieu of the required personal observation. Electronic sensors or cameras capable of recording the required personal observations of inmates in high-risk cells or groups of cells shall be installed no later than August 31, 2020.

• When reviewing the observation logs of the Hill County Jail, this inspector found multiple restraint logs that had late checks and the error rates ranging from 5% to 17%. Additionally, these late checks ranged from 1 minute to 30 minutes and on some occasions well over 30 minutes in duration.