At least four Texas county jails were found non-compliant in connection with restraints in recent months. The following is information about one of those jail inspection reports.

Restraint Chair Log Deficiencies

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) listed information about a restraint requirement before providing the specifics about an alleged violation of minimum jail standards. Inmates that demonstrate behavior suggesting a potential danger of self-harm or injuring others must be managed in a way that minimizes the threat of harm or injury. If it is determined by qualified personnel that restraints are necessary, they must be used in a humane way and only for preventing injuries. Restraints must not be used at any time as a type of punishment.

The standard further says that inmates being kept in restraints must be observed every 15 minutes at most, and there must be documentation of the face-to-face observations. Part of the quarter-hour inmate check involves assessing circulation to the inmate’s extremities as well as the security of the restraint system.

• During the jail inspection, it was discovered that the 15-minute maximum between observations of inmates kept in a restraint chair was exceeded on multiple occasions by 1 to 16 minutes.

See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this ongoing series. Next, learn more about Texas jails found to be non-compliant regarding restraints.

The posts on this website are meant to provide information that may be of assistance to former and current inmates as well as their families. It is never intended to infer that misdeeds of any sort have occurred on the part of a person or institution.

–Guest Contributor