Wise County Jail in Decatur, Texas 76234 is located at 200 Rook Ramsey Drive. The jail’s bed capacity is 338, and the contact phone number is (940) 627-5971. The operations of Wise County Jail are handled by the Wise County Sheriff. The Texas legislature has assigned the oversight of county jails to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). Yearly jail inspections are made at all county jails, and non-compliant facilities are more closely scrutinized until they are up to code.

Restraint Chairs

The guidelines for minimum jail standards allow for jailers to use restraints when inmates’ behavior threatens to cause harm. Restraint chairs are approved as a form of restraint, though they are controversial devices. Custodial deaths have occurred in connection with restraint chairs, and patterns of abuse have been identified in various jails throughout the nation.

When an inmate is placed in restraints, the least restrictive type that can resolve the situation must be used. If all other types of restraints have failed, only then can a restraint chair properly be used. Inmates are strapped into restraint chairs with mechanical locking devices on the ankles and wrists. In addition, straps are placed around the torso and the inmate’s lap. This level of inactivity poses a potentially deadly health threat because blood clots can form and possibly cause a pulmonary embolism. According to some restraint chair manufacturers’ instructions, if the person placing an inmate in a restraint chair is not familiar with the instructions, the result could be serious injury or the inmate’s death.

The posts on this website are meant as helpful resources for prisoners currently or formerly detained in Texas county jails. There is no intention to denote wrongs on the part of institutions or individuals.

–Guest Contributor