Wilson County Jail in Floresville, Texas, is Cited by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for Allegedly Failing to Uphold Protections for Suicidal Prisoners and More
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) visited Wilson County Jail in Floresville, Texas, for an inspection earlier this year. A Jail Inspection Report was released with the inspectors’ findings on April 3, 2018. The jail was cited for eight alleged violations of minimum jail standards. Among them is the failure to consistently notify the magistrate within 12 hours when a prisoner has been booked into jail who is observed to be potentially suicidal and/or mentally disabled. This is required in Article 16.22 of the Code of Criminal Procedures, and yet Wilson County Jail is allegedly one among many jails in Texas that have been cited for neglecting to adhere to this requirement. The same alleged violation was included in the following Jail Inspection Reports:
- Bosque County Jail in a February 14, 2018, report
- Brooks County Jail in a September 18, 2017, report
- Fisher County Jail in a March 30, 2018, report
- Freestone County Jail in a March 1, 2018, report
- Hill County Jail in an April 16, 2018, report
- Pecos County Jail in an October 17, 2017, report
- San Saba County Jail in a March 1, 2018, report
- Willacy County Jail in a January 22, 2018, report
Another mandatory procedure county jails in Texas are frequently cited for is failing to conduct required face-to-face observations every 30 minutes of prisoners who are known to be possibly suicidal, assaultive, or mentally ill. In the 2017 TCJS Jail Inspection Report for Wilson County Jail, that was one among seven alleged violations. Other jail inspection reports that have reflected this same alleged violation include the following:
- Hill County Jail in an April 16, 2018, report
- Kinney County Jail in an April 13, 2017, report
- Pecos County Jail in an October 17, 2017, report
- San Patricio County Jail in a January 4, 2018, report
Steps to prevent jail suicide are important and should be a priority in every Texas jail. The pattern of neglect reflected in these few jail inspection reports seems to signify that more should be done to motivate jailers to provide required protections for the most vulnerable people in the jail system.
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