Adam Talavera was 27 years old when he was arrested and booked into the El Paso County Jail in El Paso, Texas, on August 17, 2020. The custodial death report (CDR) that the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office filed about Mr. Talavera’s death is vague but indicates that his death was the result of suicide. The summary says that the manner of death is pending the results of an autopsy. Yet, it also shows that a pre-existing medical condition is not applicable in connection with the cause of death because the cause was accidental injury, intoxication, homicide, or suicide. Also, the answer to the question asking who caused the death was “decedent.”

In 1 Year, El Paso County Jail is Found Non-Compliant with Inmate Observation Requirements in 3 Separate Inspections

Since 2017, it doesn’t appear that El Paso County has been cited for non-compliance with minimum jail standards as set out by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). However, in 2017 alone, El Paso County Jail was found non-compliant in three separate jail inspection reports. The jail was found deficient regarding the observation of inmates in all three reports.

Special Jail Inspection Report Dated March 16, 2017

El Paso County Jail was cited for 3 alleged violations of minimum jail standards in a March 16, 2017 report. All three violations refer to 42-year-old inmate Norberto Santa Cruz, who died in the jail’s custody on March 11, 2017. With regard to making observations as required in §275.1-Regular Observation by Jailers, the TCJS inspector indicated the following:

• Documentation shows that the face-to-face observation of inmate Norberto Santa Cruz that was supposed to be made in intervals no longer than every 60 minutes was not conducted as required. The 60-minute time frame for visual checks was exceeded by between 38 and 46 minutes on a particular date. He was observed during a morning headcount conducted between 6:15 and 6:23 AM and was not seen again by a jailer in a face-to-face observation until 8:01 AM.

See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this continuing series.

This website aims to help municipal and county jail prisoners in Texas. Making insinuations that persons or entities have been involved in misdeeds is never intended on this site.

–Guest Contributor