Sabine County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

The Sabine County jail, in Hemphill, Texas, is now listed as being non-compliant by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”). This determination occurred as a result of a January 19, 2021 inspection.

Our Texas law firm litigates a number of cases involving jail inmates who either do not receive medical and/or mental health care, and unfortunately die as a result either as a result of medical issues or suicide. Thus, it is important that county jails in Texas comply with minimum jail standards.

The TCJS determined that the Sabine County jail violated the standard requiring that inmates confined in a holding cell or detoxification cell be observed by jailers at intervals not exceeding 30 minutes. The TCJS inspector wrote that documentation showed that observations of inmates of the Sabine County jail exceeded this 30-minute interval, by as little as one minute, but as much as up to 30 minutes.

The Sabine County jail also violated the standard related to classification training. It is important that jailers be trained in classification of inmates, so that violent inmates are not confined with non-violent inmates, for example.

Finally, the TCJS inspector found that Sabine County jail administration was unable to provide documentation showing at least 4 hours of training regarding mentally disabled and/or potentially suicidal inmates. Such training was required pursuant to the Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan. Hopefully, the Sabine County jail will remedy these issues and once again become compliant with Texas minimum jail standards.

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.