Wichita County Jail is Listed as Noncompliant Regarding Restraint Chairs

Per a Notice of Non-Compliance report dated August 22, 2022, and sent to Wichita County Jail, the jail failed to meet minimum jail standards involving observations of inmates held in a restraint chair. The inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) provided details about his findings in the requirements review. The information conveyed there follows:

• Fifty files were randomly selected for review. In addition, training records and policy were reviewed, and inmates and staff were interviewed. It was discovered that observation checks of inmates being held in a restraint chair were not conducted as required in minimum jail standards. The 15-minute maximum amount of time between inmate checks was exceeded by 1 to 9 minutes on multiple occasions.
• The follow-up action required includes that jail administration will conduct and document staff training on the use of restraint systems and the requirements detailed in minimum jail standards, which includes 15-minute observation checks. The training must be conducted within 30 days. Once training has been completed, documented training rosters must be scanned and emailed to the TCJS inspector for review. In addition, for the next 30 to 60 days, jail “administration is required to scan and email observation logs for inmates restrained in a restraint chair or other systems.

Learn more in the next segment of this series. Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, and Part 11.

This website seeks to help inmates detained in municipal and county jails in Texas. Helpful resources are provided, and accusing persons or entities of engaging in wrongdoing is never intended.

–Guest Contributor