Nolan County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) now lists Nolan County Jail in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. A special jail inspection report was issued on March 29, 2023. The report details the specific violations that resulted in the issuance of a notice of non-compliance. TCJS inspectors found that the Sweetwater, Texas, jail failed to meet 1 minimum jail standard.
The address of Nolan County Jail is 211 Avenger Field Road, Sweetwater, TX 79556. Details on alleged noncompliance follow.
RULE §273.6(3), in the chapter on Health Services, is about Restraints. Inmates exhibiting behavior indicating that they are a danger to themselves or others shall be managed in such a way as to minimize the threat of injury or harm. If restraints are determined to be necessary, they shall be used in a humane manner, only for the prevention of injury, and not as a punitive measure. A documented observation of the inmate shall be conducted every 15 minutes, at a minimum. The observations should include an assessment of the security of the restraints and the circulation to the extremities.
- Restraint chair logs were reviewed and it was determined that staff exceeded the required 15-minute observation checks by 1 to 10 minutes on 14 of 160 occasions.
Although TCJS has approved restraint chairs for use in circumstances with no other restraint device is effective, they are known to be potentially dangerous. Many jurisdictions in the U.S. have banned the use of restraint chairs. Violating observation requirements can potentially subject inmates in restraint chairs to various health threats.
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