Inmate Death in Montgomery County, Texas (in Conroe) Leads to Non-Compliance Notice

The Montgomery County Jail, in Conroe, Texas, has been found to be non-compliant by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards issued a notice of non-compliance on or about June 26th, 2023.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards notice of non-compliance referenced an inspection requirements review and jail inspection report, issued on June 19th, 2023. The non-compliance notice apparently occurred as a result of a detainee death. Montgomery County jail administration told the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, during an internal investigation of the death in custody, that face-to-face observations of the deceased detainee did not occur due to the detainee obstructing the view of the jailers by placing a sheet over a cell door. Even though jailers made rounds within a mandated timeframe, jailers did not see the detainee face-to-face as required by minimum jail standards.

Our Texas jail neglect and abuse law firm unfortunately has seen this situation far too many times. There is no excuse for jailers allowing sheets or other objects to be placed on cell doors, and which obstruct the view of detainees. This violates all known jail standards. Thus, the death of this unidentified detainee in the Montgomery County Jail in Conroe, Texas potentially could have been prevented.

The United States Constitution requires jails across Texas to protect detainees in their care. If, as in this situation apparently, jailers fail to protect such detainees, through violation of clearly known jail standards, and a detainee dies as a result, then certain surviving family members may be able to file a federal constitutional rights lawsuit. Our jail neglect law firm has years of experience handling such cases across Texas, and we are well-experienced in analyzing the law applicable to such claims.

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.