Two officers at a county jail facility outside of Texas are charged with assault and battery in connection with a confrontation inside the jail with an inmate. Both detention officers have been fired from their jobs. The former senior deputies allegedly struck a 35- year-old male inmate multiple times using their fists.

An investigator said, according to affidavits about the incident, that the confrontation started when the inmate exited his cell to take a shower at a time when he was not authorized to do so.

The inmate was reportedly first struck after the deputies attempted to put handcuffs on him and he resisted. The inmate then fell to the floor, and the other deputy also struck him as the inmate was struggling for control of his hands.

A document about the incident alleges that the inmate was struck by the detention officers 18 times, and the inmate never struck back throughout the physical attack. The jail has confirmed that the two detention officers have lost their jobs.

Inmates have constitutional rights that must be upheld because those rights are not lost when they are detained in a city or county jail. Specifically, inmates have the right to be protected against cruel and unusual punishment. In addition, all prisoners must be provided with a minimum standard of living.

This post as well as all others on this website are intended as helpful resources to provide information to inmates and former inmates in Texas who believe that their civil rights have been violated. There is no intention to imply that actions of misconduct have occurred on the part of any person or institution.

–Guest Contributor