The District Attorney in a Texas county has named an experienced prosecutor as the head of a new division focused on civil rights. One of the chief goals is to investigate custodial deaths and reject the practice of simply accepting initial reports. Texas inmates maintain their civil rights when incarcerated. Historical evidence indicates that custodial deaths often occur because of civil rights violations.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) establishes minimum jail standards for the state, and a primary purpose behind the standards is ensuring the safety of inmates, jailers, and the public. The practice of placing individuals in restraint devices or holds has been spotlighted in recent years because of egregious custodial deaths that have occurred.

According to a report from a watchdog group released in the summer of 2020, more than 250 of the nearly 1,500 people who died while in police custody in Texas before being booked into a jail since 2010 were in a restraint system.

Various mechanical restraint devices are approved by TCJS for use in Texas jails, but there are guidelines that clearly seek to protect the health of inmates in restraints.

A 30-year-old man died in a county jail in Texas while being restrained in a Wrap Restraint System. The custodial death report indicates that the man continued to behave in a combative manner, even while in the Wrap Restraint System. During a face-to-face check, which was required in that situation every 15 minutes, a jailer discovered that the inmate was not moving. EMS was called and transported the man to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The death may not have been directly associated with the restraint device, but it was still an incident that has raised concerns over the way restraint devices are used.

The posts on this website are provided as resources to help  Texas inmates and their families. There is never an intention to infer misdeeds on the part of a person or institution.

–Guest Contributor