Maverick County Jail in Eagle Pass Fails State Inspection
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”) recently inspected the Maverick County jail in Eagle Pass, Texas. The inspection resulted in the Maverick County jail being listed as non-compliant at the TCJS website.
There were several serious violations. First, a minimum jail standard requires that staff be trained for emergency situations immediately upon their employment and further no less than each calendar quarter. This includes training for fire, emergency, evacuation drills, and the use and location of equipment. The inspector could not verify that all employees had participated in quarterly air pack training as required.
Further, classification officers at the jail have not received the 4 hours of objective jail classification training. This training is important, as inmates should be classified appropriately for their safety and the safety of jail employees.
The TCJS inspector also found various contraband items in each housing area. Staff was not removing contraband from cells as required by TCJS standards.
A significant problem at the Maverick County jail, run by the Geo Group, Inc., was that jail staff could not verify or confirm that the disabilities/suicide prevention screening form was completed for each inmate. This is a significant issue. The forms were absent and/or not stored in appropriate files. If jails fail to conduct proper intake of inmates with serious mental health issues, death by suicide can occur.
Finally, the TCJS inspector noted numerous maintenance and repair issues. These included inoperable lights, intercoms missing detention-grade screws, residential-grade shelving (as opposed to appropriate-grade shelving), a roof leak in a cell, and the presence of non-detention grade privacy shields.
Dean Malone
Dean Malone