Nacogdoches County Jail Fails State Inspection

The Nacogdoches County jail, in Nacogdoches, Texas, is now listed as being non-compliant by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”). The non-compliance occurred as a result of a March 4-5, 2021 inspection. The TCJS inspector determined that the Nacogdoches County jail violated two minimum jail standards.

When reviewing Medication Administration Records, the TCJS inspector found that such records failed to show that medications were distributed in accordance with written instructions from a physician. The importance of administering medication in accordance with instructions from a physician is fairly obvious. If a jail fails to properly administer medication, it could result in serious injury to or death of an inmate.

The TCJS inspector also examined restraint logs. Jails are allowed to use restraint chairs in only certain circumstances. The TCJS inspector found that Nacogdoches County jail staff exceeded the required fifteen-minute observation checks by as little as one minute, and by as many as seventeen minutes, on multiple occasions. It is vitally important that prisoners who are strapped into a restraint chair be properly observed. Hopefully, the Nacogdoches County jail will bring itself into compliance.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.