Dallas County Jail is Cited for Lack of Inmate Supervision After a Custodial Death Continued

In a special jail inspection report dated September 6, 2022, an inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) cited Dallas County Jail for noncompliance with Rule §275.1-Regular Observation by Jailers, which is in Chapter 275-Supervision of Inmates. Details from the inspector’s notes follow:

• The video submitted after a custodial death was reviewed. The video reveals that observation rounds were not conducted in accordance with minimum jail standards.

Dallas County Jail has several locations, which include:

• Dallas County North Tower Jail aka Lew Sterrett Jail at 111 West Commerce Street, Dallas TX 75202. Built in 1993, the facility holds 3,292 maximum security inmates. There are 188 single-occupancy cells. To operate this facility a staff of 350 employees is required.
• West Tower Detention Facility, which is located within the location detailed above, is a mental housing facility. The West Tower has 132 tanks and 25 single cells. It houses up to 1,530 male inmates. Classifications of inmates include lower bunk medical restriction, close behavioral observation, HIV positive, suicidal, crisis stabilization, and others.
• Suzanne Lee Kays Detention Facility at the same address on Commerce Street in Dallas. Known as the South Tower, it has an inmate capacity of 2,304.
• George Allen at 600 Commerce Street, Dallas TX 75202 and other former Dallas County jails are currently depopulated.

Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this ongoing series.

Helping local Texas prisoners detained in county and municipal jails is the purpose of this website. It is never intended on this site to make allegations of wrongdoing against any person or entity.

–Guest Contributor