Llano County Jail Violates 6 Texas Minimum Jail Standards

During an August 25, 2025, special jail inspection, a Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) inspector found that Llano County Jail had violated 6 (six) minimum jail standards. Jails are required to comply with all standards. Those that don’t are listed on the TCJS website’s non-compliance page, which now includes Llano County Jail. The notice of non-compliance sent to the Llano, Texas, jail indicates that corrective action must be completed on each alleged violation upon receipt of the notice, which was sent the same day the inspection was conducted.

Inspector’s notes indicate that the jail is persistently in violation of Rule §263.56–Testing Emergency Power Equipment in the chapter on Life Safety and Emergency Equipment, as follows:

In September 2024 and December 2024, there were no monthly load tests. There were no weekly run tests for the weeks that follow: September 1 – October 5, 2024, October 13 – November 2,
2024, November 10, 2024 – January 4, 2025, and July 6 –
August 2, 2025.

In the matter of Rule §263.42, which is the Fire Prevention Plan, the inspector says:

For 2024’s fourth quarter and 2025’s first quarter, no fire prevention checklist was conducted.

Llano County Jail allegedly violated two standards regarding Chapter 271—Classification and Separation of Inmates. The inspector’s notes about the two violations follow, the first being about initial classification and the second about re-classification:

On one occasion, the inmate was classified improperly
utilizing the current offense and offense history.
Of the 5 files reviewed, 3 exceeded the 30-90 days reclassification period by 3 days, 62 days, and 33 days. Further, one file submitted indicated multiple overages of the reclassification period by 61 days, 92 days, and 15 days.

Custodial deaths are often directly associated with supervision violations. Llano County Jail was found noncompliant with Rule §273.6(3)—Restraints, pertaining to face-to-face supervision of inmates being held in restraints, such as restraint chairs. The inspector says:

On one occasion, staff exceeded the required 15-minute
observation time by 28 minutes.

The remaining area of non-compliance concerns physical exercise. Each inmate is supposed to be allowed an hour of supervised physical recreation or exercise at least three days per week. The TCJS inspector found the following:

Only 4 days of physical exercise or physical recreation were provided during April 2025.

The Llano County Jail is at 752 Andy Taylor Dr, Llano, Texas 78643. The jail has a 152-bed capacity.

Llano County Jail Violates a Rule Regarding the Distribution of Inmate Prescription Medication

In November 2023, the Llano County Jail was cited for three alleged violations. One of those violations is indicative of situations in jails throughout the U.S. in which inmates die because they were not administered their necessary prescription medications. The message in the TCJS inspector’s notes follows:

Medication Administration Records (MARs) were reviewed, and it was discovered that medications are not being administered as directed by physicians.

Denial of medical care in the form of not receiving essential medications costs inmates their lives every year. The following are two of the many occasions when this has occurred in county and municipal jails throughout the nation:

Matthew Shelton, 28, who had diabetes, was never provided with the prescription medication in the jail’s possession that he needed to stay alive. He died of diabetic ketoacidosis in the custody of Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, on March 27, 2022.
Dexter Barry, 54, was incarcerated in Florida’s Duval County Jail. A heart transplant recipient, he was denied the anti-rejection medication he needed to survive. He died on November 23, 2022, three days after his release from Duval County Jail.

Pursuing Justice After Jail Neglect or Mistreatment

Being held in a local jail does not mean basic rights must be sacrificed. When detainees suffer jail neglect—such as the denial of essential medical care or being subjected to abuse—those responsible must be held accountable.

Do you believe negligence or abuse contributed to your loved one’s death while in a jail’s custody? If so, the Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., may be able to help. Our firm is dedicated to handling in-custody death cases and has the knowledge and experience to guide families through these difficult matters.

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