Milam County Jail is in Cameron, Texas 76520 at 512 N Jefferson Ave. The jail can be contacted at the phone number (254) 697-7063. The inmate capacity at Milam County Jail is 160. Jail operations are among the duties of the Milam County Sheriff. Standards for jail operations are determined by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS), which also handles enforcement. Milam County Jail is inspected every year, like all city and county jails in Texas. Non-compliant jails are identified and monitored until minimum jail standards are met.

Restraint Chairs

Jailers at Milam County Jail can use restraints when needed to prevent inmates from self-harm and from potentially harming others. Restraint chairs are among the approved mechanical restraint devices. Across the U.S., there are stories of county jails using restraints as a form of punishment, although no restraints are approved for punitive use. Among the mechanical restraints used in questionable ways are restraint chairs.

There have been custodial deaths in which inmates have died as a result of being strapped in a restraint chair. Alarm about this inhumane practice has led to various jurisdictions across the country outlawing the use of restraint chairs.

Although restraint chairs are allowed for use in Texas jails, there are strict guidelines that must be followed. The following are a few examples of minimum jail standards related to restraint chairs:

• Only those who are specifically designated by TCJS guidelines can make the decision to place an inmate in a restraint chair.
• Inmates strapped into restraint chairs must be personally observed every 15 minutes and circulation to the extremities must be checked.
• Every two hours that an inmate is in a restraint chair, medical care, access to toilet facilities, and more must be provided.

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–Guest Contributor