Hopkins County Jail Fails State Inspection

The Hopkins County jail, in Sulphur Springs, Texas, failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”). The inspection occurred on November 10, 2020, and the Hopkins County jail is now listed as being non-compliant by the TCJS.

A Texas minimum jail standard requires that inmates shall not be held for more than 48 hours in a holding cell pending intake, processing, and/or release. However, an inmate custody roster for November 3, 2020 indicated that 21 of 25 inmates in holding cells had been in those cells in excess of 48 hours. Jail administration confirmed to the TCJS inspector that inmates were being held in holding cells for more than 48 hours.

Further, TCJS minimum jail standards are require an appropriate cell size for an appropriate number of inmates. However, the above-referenced inmate custody roster indicated that 16 inmates had been held in Holding Cell 4, although TCJS records indicate that Holding Cell 4 has a related capacity of only 10 inmates. Jail administration confirmed the cell capacity but alleged that their report was incorrect, and that the excess inmates were being held in one of the recreation areas. However, the TCJS inspector noted, “The recreation area is not approved or equipped for the holding or housing of inmates.”

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.