Parmer County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

The Parmer County jail in Farwell, Texas, failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”). The TCJS conducted the inspection on June 15, 2021.

The Parmer County jail failed to comply with, in our opinion as a Texas law firm handling jail death cases, a serious requirement of the TCJS. The inspector determined that Parmer County jail staff exceeded the 30-minute welfare check requirement by as little as one minute and by as much as up to ten minutes – on a continuous basis. The TCJS requires that inmates confined in a holding cell or detoxification cell be observed by jail staff at intervals not to exceed 30 minutes.

We have unfortunately handled a number of cases in which the primary issue is the failure of city of county jail staff to properly observe inmates. Inmates who are intoxicated, have medical issues, or have self-harm issues, must be properly observed. If jailers fail to properly observe inmates, then serious injury and/or death can occur.

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.