TCJS Again Cites Liberty County Jail for Violations
Liberty County Jail in Texas is currently listed three times as a non-compliant jail on the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) website. The latest non-compliance correspondence was issued on June 5, 2024. Following a June 3 and 4 jail inspection, TCJS inspectors allege that Liberty County Jail has violated seven minimum jail standards. That doesn’t include the five others named in the outstanding non-compliance reports, which were issued on January 3, 2024, and August 7, 2023.
Liberty County Jail’s address is 2400 Beaumont Ave, Liberty, TX 77575. The jail has a housing capacity of approximately 285 inmates.
Liberty County is Found Non-Compliant in Connection with a Detainee’s Death
In the notice of non-compliance issued to Liberty County Jail on August 7, 2023, reference is made to two custodial deaths that had happened in previous years. One of the deaths occurred in September 2021 and the other in November 2022. The TCJS inspectors noted the following:
- Documentation related to the 2021 custodial death was reviewed, and it was discovered that the inmate had been prescribed medications beginning on July 14, 2021. However, only the August 2021 records regarding the administration of medication were provided. In connection with the November 2022 death at Liberty County Jail, the documents related to the medication he was prescribed while incarcerated were incomplete.
The custodial death report (CDR) about the September 2021 inmate death reveals heart-wrenching details. The 47-year-old man was discovered to be in dire need of medical help at about 11:25 p.m. on September 29. He was conscious but groaning, clinching, and saying “ow,” as in “ouch” occasionally.
Jailers placed him in a wheelchair, and he was taken to the booking area of the jail to await emergency medical services (EMS). While there, the detainee kept getting on the floor. The jailers finally placed a mattress on the floor for him until the ambulance arrived. He was transported to a medical facility and died less than 3 hours after having been discovered in a desperate condition.
Is Jail Medical Neglect Common in County Jails?
After custodial deaths have occurred in county jails, details suggesting that an inmate was possibly a victim of jail medical neglect sometimes emerge. For example, in January 2024 news, an inmate in a Texas county jail died hours after a medical technician had passed his cell without offering him his prescription medication per a physician’s instructions.
The Law Offices of Dean Malone Can Help with Jail Neglect Cases
Are you looking for legal assistance because you suspect that a loved one who died in jail was a victim of jail neglect? Or were you previously detained in a county or municipal jail in Texas and suffered a life-altering injury due to jail medical neglect or abuse? It is beneficial when the legal help you receive has years of experience in the area of law your case pertains to.
The Law Offices of Dean Malone have held a longstanding commitment to help with jail neglect cases, jail deaths, and inmate abuse. Contact us as soon as possible for your free case review. Reach out via phone, text, or our online form any time of the day or night.
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