Zapata County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

The Zapata County jail, in Zapata, Texas, recently failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). The TCJS inspected the jail on November 23, 2021.

Our Texas jail abuse law firm has monitored Texas county jails for a number of years. We are accustomed to reading TCJS inspection reports. However, we do not recall ever reviewing a report with as extensive a licensure violation as that relating to the Zapata County jail.

The TCJS inspector determined, when reviewing TCOLE licensing records, that nine officers had neither a permanent nor temporary TCOLE-issued jailer’s license. There is no excuse for a jail allowing personnel to deal with inmates without having a license. In fact, in Texas, obtaining a temporary jailer’s license requires no training, no education, and no experience. While we believe that no such licenses should be allowed, unfortunately, Texas law currently allows it. Hopefully, the Zapata County jail will bring itself into compliance and thereby protect inmates in its care.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.