Runnels County Jail is in Ballinger, Texas 76821 at 200 N Hickory Hill Rd. The jail can be contacted at the phone number (325) 365-2110. The Runnels County Sheriff handles operations at Runnels County Jail, which has a bed capacity of 87. Jails in Texas must adhere to specific standards of operation, as determined by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). Non-compliance of a Texas jail instigates continued scrutiny until it is up to code.

Restraint Chairs

TCJS has included restraint chairs in the list of restraint devices approved for use in Texas jails. Restraint chairs have been associated with dozens of deaths in U.S. jails, according to various studies by watchdog groups. One of the reasons for deaths is that blood clots form due to inactivity. Blood clots are deadly when they enter a person’s lungs or heart.

Medical care is an integral part of the requirements for using a restraint chair in a Texas jail. For instance, a prisoner’s state of health must be assessed by a medical professional before he or she is placed in any type of restraint device. Also, every two hours, inmates in restraints must be allowed to go to a restroom facility, exercise their limbs, and drink fluids. In addition, their vitals must be taken during the two-hour checks.

Abuse of restraint chairs is generally what instigates problems. TCJS has determined that when jailers operate as required, inmates’ lives should not be threatened.

This site’s posts are purposed to help Texas inmates whose rights might have been violated while incarcerated. There is never an intention to imply wrongdoing on the part of a person or institution.

–Guest Contributor