Zapata County Jail in Zapata, Texas 78076 is located at 2300 Kennedy Street. The inmate capacity at the jail is 240, and (956) 765-9960 is the phone number. The Zapata County Sheriff handles Zapata County Jail operations. County jails in Texas are subjected to annual inspections as a form of enforcement, to ensure that the requirements determined by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) are being met. Non-compliant jails are inspected at least one additional time and, if help is needed, TCJS will provide certain types of assistance to bring them up to code.

Restraint Chairs

If an inmate in a Texas county jail behaves in a manner that threatens harm, jailers can use a restraint device that has been TCJS-approved. This includes restraint chairs. There has been increasing controversy surrounding the use of restraint chairs because of reports by watchdog groups exposing alleged abuses of inmates detained in these restrictive devices. Alarmingly, there have been quite a few custodial deaths associated with restraint chairs, as well.

In trying to ensure inmate safety, TCJS has provided strict guidelines for using restraint chairs. For instance, an inmate must be given medical care every two hours, and the attention of the medical professional must include allowing for the exercise of the extremities.  

For the purpose of providing help to Texas county jail inmates, current and former, this site offers informational posts. There is no intention to infer that persons or entities have engaged in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor