After being sprayed with pepper spray and being in a restraint chair, Thomas Ervin Gregory was found in an unresponsive state. This was about 53 minutes after all these things happened and he was moved to a detox cell. Mr. Gregory was at Taylor County Jail in Abilene, Texas.

Behaviors Linked to Restraint Chair

Being immobilized in a restraint chair, inmates are subject to common abuses. In one instance, a 21-year-old was strapped into a chair and tased in a county jail outside Texas. He was having a bipolar episode when he was arrested. His girlfriend handed the medication to the arresting deputy. But he never received the medical care when at the jail. When the young man died, his death was declared a homicide.  

Studies show that restraint chairs increase the risk of suffering from a pulmonary embolism, or a potentially fatal blood clot. This is especially true when physical restraint is followed by immobility.

It is not unusual for mentally ill or obstinate individuals to be placed in a restraint chair where they can’t move. In another county jail outside Texas, a former jail prisoner was brutally beaten, sprayed with chemicals, and placed in a restraint chair for 19 hours.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and this ongoing series.

This post is among the resources on this site intended as a potential benefit to inmates in Texas county and city jails. Making inferences that organizations or individuals have been involved in wrongdoing is never intended.

–Guest Contributor