The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has recently added another listing for Willacy County Jail in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. A Notice of Non-Compliance was sent to Willacy County Jail on May 22, 2023, regarding the special jail inspection conducted on May 17, 2023. TCJS inspectors found that the Raymondville, Texas, jail violated 1 minimum jail standard.

The address of Willacy County Jail is 1371 Industrial Drive, Raymondville, TX, 78580. The jail has a 96-bed capacity. Details on alleged noncompliance follow.

RULE §275.1 Regular Observation by Jailers

RULE §275.1 Regular Observation by Jailers is in the chapter about the Supervision of Inmates. Every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes. Observation shall be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are confined. There shall be a two-way voice communication capability between inmates and jailers, licensed peace officers, bailiffs, and designated staff at all times. Closed circuit television may be used, but not in lieu of the required personal observation. Electronic sensors or cameras capable of recording the required personal observations of inmates in high-risk cells or groups of cells shall be installed no later than August 31, 2020.

• A review of the observation logs revealed that 7 of 84 checks exceeded the maximum 60 minutes by anywhere from 90 to 142 minutes as required by minimum jail standards for visual face-to-face observations during a one-week period. The issue was only found on the night shift, which was operating with the bare minimum staff.

Previous Noncompliance at Willacy County Jail

Willacy County Jail received notices of noncompliance for jail inspections conducted in March 2023, April 2022, June 2021, December 2020, as well as in February 2020 and previous years.