Guidelines for Emergency Restraint Chair Use

These are more detailed guidelines for the use of restraint chairs in a county outside Texas.

The guidelines specify that deputies must use care to ensure the safety of inmates in the restraint chair as they supervise, observe, and manage them.

A deputy that is assigned by the shift supervisor will continually watch an inmate during the first 15 minutes that the inmate is in the chair. Please note that it is of special importance when the inmate being restrained has drug or alcohol intoxication as they are prone to have breathing difficulties.

Once the initial 15 minutes have passed, the jailer will begin conducting regular 15-minute checks. During these checks, the proper application of the restraint is checked. The jailer will check on the inmate’s welfare and the handcuffs at least every 15 minutes and log what they did and what they observed in the Inmate Round Record Form No. 402. Special precautions shall be made to ensure that blood circulation has not been restricted. Jailers will document inmate activity as well as their behavior and condition in the Incident/Use of Force Report.

If the inmate is actively resisting the restraint, the continuous watch period will be extended by the order of the shift supervisor. Medical staff may ask for an extension for health reasons.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7 of this ongoing series.

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