In October 2020, another Texas jail was cited by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) for an alleged violation of minimum jail standards involving a restraint chair. The 15-minute observations in which circulation to the inmate’s extremities must be checked were frequently exceeded, according to the jail inspection report. The report says:

• The logs documenting observation of an inmate in a restraint chair show that the quarter-hour checks were exceeded on multiple occasions by 1 to 16 minutes.

A study revealed that in jails outside Texas, mentally ill and uncooperative detainees are often placed in restraint chairs, where movement is completely restricted. One inmate says he was kept in a restraint chair for 19 hours and not given restroom breaks, resulting in his urinating on himself.

In another county jail outside Texas, an inmate was kept in a restraint chair for more than 24 hours. When he was finally released from the chair, a blood clot that had developed moved and immediately caused his death.

The Texas guidelines for inmates in restraints specify that every two hours, they must be given a medical check that includes the following:

• Offer the inmate access to toilet facilities.
• Take vital signs.
• Offer liquids and nourishment.
• Allow the inmate to exercise extremities.
• Check to determine whether the inmate has a need for medication.

See Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of this six-part series.

This website’s posts are meant to provide information that could be helpful to former and current inmates as well as their families. It is never intended to suggest that misdeeds have occurred on the part of a person or entity.

–Guest Contributor