Wichita County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

The Wichita County Jail, in Wichita Falls, Texas, recently failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). As a result, the Wichita County Jail is now listed as being non-compliant by the TCJS. The TCJS notified Wichita County Judge Gossom and Wichita County Sheriff Duke.

The TCJS inspector found, when reviewing restraint logs, that observation checks were conducted beyond the required 15-minute maximum interval by as few as one minute and by as many as nine minutes on multiple occasions. The TCJS inspector required that the Wichita County jail administration conduct documented training with staff on the use of restraints.

The TCJS inspector also found, when reviewing inmate medical files, that Wichita County jail staff, on multiple occasions, failed to complete the Screening Form for Suicide and Medical/Mental/Developmental Impairments in its entirety. Missing information included the times the form was completed, comments for affirmative answers, and continuity of care query return information. Thus, Wichita County jail staff had to conduct documented training regarding these issues.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.