There is a significant difference between requirements for juvenile and adult inmates in a restraint chair in Texas. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) establishes the rules that apply to adults, and restraint chair rules are the same as those for wearing handcuffs. This includes a maximum time frame of 24 hours in any restraint device. As regards restraint chairs, that in itself is alarming.

Another issue of concern is one for which Texas city and county jails are frequently cited for noncompliance. That issue has to do with supervision of inmates in a restraint chair. Before going into the reasons these put inmates at risk, below are the juvenile inmate rules for supervision in the same circumstance.

Continuation of Texas Juvenile Justice Department Rule §351.46–Restraint Chair

The following are among the guidelines for the level of supervision that must be provided when a resident in a Texas juvenile facility is in a restraint chair:

• Inmates must be under constant visual supervision from the time they are placed in a restraint chair and the time they are removed from the chair.
• The officer who is responsible to provide continuous visual observation of an inmate in a restraint chair is allowed to perform other tasks at the same time on a limited basis but only if those tasks do not interfere with the constant visual supervision requirement.
• An inmate in a restraint chair who is recognized as high risk for suicidal behavior must be provided with supervision that adheres to rule §351.13(d)(2)(B). That rule includes the requirement that the inmate must be under continuous, uninterrupted visual supervision. Mostly, it involves details on required documentation.
• The officer who is responsible to provide the inmate in the restraint chair with constant visual supervision shall have in his or her possession the key or other means required for unlocking or releasing the resident from the restraint chair.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this ongoing series.

Providing Texas inmates in city and county jails with access to helpful information is the purpose of this website. There is no intention on this site of accusing anyone or any entity of wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor