Yoakum County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

The Yoakum County Jail, in Plains, Texas, recently failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). The TCJS conducted the inspection on December 7, 2021. The TCJS inspector found at least six violations, which the inspector documented in the report.

First, the TCJS inspector determined that quarterly fire/SCBA/life safety training had not been completed for one jailer, and that four other jailers had not received training during at least one or two quarters of year 2021. TCJS standards require training of staff for emergency situations at county jails, such training to be provided immediately upon employment and no less than each calendar quarter for all jail personnel. This includes fire, emergency, evacuation drills, and location and use of equipment.

The TCJS inspector also determined that weekly and monthly generator testing had not been documented during most of the year. Also, all fire extinguishers in the Yoakum County Jail had expired on November 30, 2021. TCJS requires that all life safety equipment be inspected, maintained and tested by people qualified to do so, and that it all be operational, secure, and safe at all times.

Third, the TCJS determined that jail staff were exceeding inmate observations, for those inmates who are on 30-minute face-to-face observations, by as little as one minute and by as many as 10 minutes in holding and detox cells. This is a significant problem, as people in holding and detox cells are at times at highest risk for injury and death. Our Texas law firm has handled a number of Texas Jail death cases, many of which arise simply because prisoners are not being observed as required.

Fourth, the TCJS inspector also determined that Yoakum County, Texas Jail staff were exceeding 60-minute face-to-face prisoner observation checks by as little as one minute and by as many as 12 minutes. Thus, Yoakum County jailers were not observing high-risk or typical-risk prisoners at required minimum intervals.

Fifth, the TCJS inspector determined when walking through the facility several sanitation issues. The kitchen area was dirty with food which was dried onto appliances, as well as on the floor and an inmate tray carrier/food cart. The facility laundry dryer had a large amount of lint in the lint trap. There was a large black substance on shower walls of cell 104.

Finally, the TCJS inspector determined when walking through inmate housing areas a number of plumbing issues. These included low water pressure, no hot water, and shower spouts that did not work.

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