The address of Cherokee County Jail is 272 Underwood St. in Rusk Texas 75785; and the phone number is (903) 683-2271. The inmate capacity at Cherokee County Jail is 188. The operation of the jail is the responsibility of the Cherokee County Sheriff. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) provides minimum jail standards for jails in Texas, and enforcement is achieved primarily through jail inspections, follow-up on non-compliance, and disciplinary actions when necessary.

Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan

Among the jail standards in Texas especially designed to ensure that inmates are safe while incarcerated are those related to inmates with mental disabilities or who are potentially suicidal. Cherokee County Jail, like all county jails, must have a suicide prevention plan in place and it must be approved by the TCJS. The following are examples of the types of health services inmates must be provided with:     

• Members of the jail staff must have training at designated frequencies and durations regarding the procedures for recognizing, supervising, documenting, and handling mentally disabled inmates and/or potentially suicidal inmates. Any staff members involved in intake screening must also have supplemental training.
• Intake screening is an important step during the booking process at Texas county jails. It is during intake screening that inmates are identified who are known to be, observed to be, or potentially disabled mentally and/or potentially suicidal. When at-risk inmates have been identified, referrals must be made to available mental health officials as part of the intake process.

The purpose of this post is to provide information. There is no intention on any of this website’s posts to denote that any misconduct has occurred on the part of any institution or individual.

–Guest Contributor