TCJS Cites a County Jail in Texas for Non-Compliance Related to the Use of Restraint Chairs – Part 3
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) provides the following guidelines, including how long a juvenile at a detention facility in Texas can remain in a restraint chair, as follows:
- After a resident has been examined by one of the following types of licensed medical professionals, the maximum of one hour in a restraint chair can be lengthened:
- Paramedic
- Emergency Medical Services personnel, such as EMS or fire rescue
- Emergency Medical Technician (EMT)
- Physician (MD)
- Registered Nurse (RN)
- Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN)
- Physician’s Assistant (PA)
- The maximum amount of time that a juvenile resident can be restrained in a restraint chair within a 24-hour period is 5 hours.
- More rules dictating the use of a restraint chair in a juvenile detention facility follow:
- A facility administrator or designee must authorize each use of a restraint chair.
- When a restraint chair is occupied, it will be placed within minimal visibility of other residents within the facility.
- Each jail must establish provisions to ensure routine inspection and maintenance of the restraint chair.
- The following are prohibited with regard to restraint chairs:
- Alteration, modification, or customization of a restraint chair in any manner that differentiates it from intended use and its original manufactured state.
- Using a restraint chair to confine a detainee for no other reason other than being at high risk for committing suicide.
See Part 1 and Part 2 of this ongoing series. In the next segment, learn about requirements for medical care that must be administered when an inmate is in restraints.
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