A special jail inspection report for Victoria County Jail has been posted on the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) indicating that the jail has not met the requirements of minimum jail standards. The special inspection report is dated December 12, 2022, and it was signed by TCJS Inspector Byron Shelton.

The address of Victoria County Jail is 210 W Constitution St, Victoria, TX 77901. The jail was cited for one alleged violation of jail standards in the Health Services Plan chapter. More details are below.

§273.6(3)- Restraints

Management of inmates includes minimizing the threat of harm or injury when they are behaving in a manner that could endanger themselves or others. When restraints are deemed necessary to achieve this purpose, they must be used humanely, only to prevent injury, and never as a punishment. §273.6(3) under the Restraints section specifies that inmates will be observed in intervals not to exceed every 15 minutes, and documentation of these observations must be maintained. The security of restraints and blood circulation to the inmates’ extremities must be checked during each observation.

• The restraint chair logs show that the 15-minute observation checks were exceeded on multiple occasions from between 1 and 19 minutes.

A basic requirement to ensure inmate safety when he or she is strapped into a restraint chair is to keep a close check on blood circulation. Complications that could occur if circulation is cut off could be serious. Medical experts report that when handcuffs are overtightened, fractures and lacerations can occur as well as injury to the ulnar, radial, and median nerves. Individuals who have been in handcuffs often complain of sensory symptoms, pain, or weakness after cuffs are removed. Neuropraxia can be severe and persistent and, in rare cases, can lead to motor dysfunction.  The median or ulnar nerve is damaged or if fractures occur due to restraints, the results can be debilitating.