The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has recently listed Wise County Jail in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. A special jail inspection report issued on April 21, 2023, cites Wise County Jail for noncompliance. TCJS inspectors found that the Decatur, Texas, jail violated 1 minimum jail standard.

The address of Wise County Jail is 200 Rook Ramsey Drive, Decatur, TX. The jail has a 328-bed capacity. Details on alleged noncompliance follow.

RULE §273.3 Health Instructions is in the chapter about Health Services. The rule states that all medical instructions of designated physicians shall be followed.

• The TCJS instructor found that blood pressure checks were not completed as ordered by the Nurse Practitioner.

Previous Noncompliance at Wise County Jail

In a jail inspection report dated April 21, 2017, Wise County Jail was cited for noncompliance with 3 minimum jail standards. One of them was related to a health issue that could be essential to the well-being of inmates, like the recent report in 2023 for Wise County.

RULE §265.3, in the chapter about Admission and the section on Observation During Holding. Inmates confined in a holding cell or detoxification cell shall be observed by facility personnel at intervals not to exceed 30 minutes.

• During the TCJS inspector’s review of face-to-face observations for inmates in Holding / Detox Cells, a clear pattern was identified of staff going over the 30-minute time requirement. Overages ranged from 1 to 14 minutes in the documentation reviewed. In several cases the documentation was illegible, and a clear time could not be determined. Technical assistance was provided on both of these exact issues during last year’s annual inspection.