Starr County Jail is in Rio Grande City, Texas 78582 at 100 E 6th Street. The jail’s contact phone number is (956) 487-4552. Starr County Jail has an inmate capacity of 275 and is run by the Starr County Sheriff. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) determines county jail standards in the state. Enforcement is largely achieved through annual jail inspections and additional inspections plus heightened scrutiny for jails found to be non-compliant.

Restraint Chairs

TCJS allows jailers to use various types of restraint devices to restrain inmates exhibiting behavior that could cause self-harm or injury to others. The least restrictive type of restraint device is supposed to be used anytime restraint is needed. Restraint chairs are the most restrictive of all restraint devices. Locking mechanisms restrict an inmate at the ankles, wrists, lap, and torso.

Jail records in counties across the U.S. show that restraint chairs are associated with custodial deaths at an alarming rate. Mandatory guidelines in connection with restraint chairs have been found to be violated in many jails. This non-compliance is a contributing factor in custodial deaths that occur in restraint chairs. For example, manufacturers of restraint chairs specify that no one should be strapped in longer than two hours. Minimum jail standards, however, typically allow such restraint to last for longer periods of time than that, including up to 24 hours.

The purpose of this site’s posts is to help inmates detained in Texas county jails. It is never intended to denote that entities or individuals have engaged in misdeeds.  

–Guest Contributor