A new document listing the agencies appointed to investigate March jail deaths has been posted on the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) website. A link to the report is here –
https://www.tcjs.state.tx.us/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/LEApptMar2025-2.pdf
This March 24, 2025, posting came on the heels of media coverage asserting that TCJS has failed to comply with rules regarding custodial death investigations. One lengthy news report from Star-Telegram.com on this topic includes details of family members addressing members of TCJS about the custodial deaths of their loved ones.
The table or spreadsheet on which TCJS has begun listing appointments for death investigations has five columns listing the county, date of death, the appointed agency, the date of the appointment, and the status, now showing all cases listed are “under investigation.”
The data is listed according to the inmates’ dates of death. For example, Ector and Bexar Counties are listed first, both regarding custodial deaths that occurred on March 1, 2025. Taylor County is currently listed last, reflecting an inmate death on March 23, 2025.
The other counties listed at this time are Bastrop, Madison, El Paso, Dallas, Williamson, and Cooke Counties. The appointed agency is the Texas Rangers in every county except two. In Bexar County, the Bexar County Constable Precinct 2 has been appointed to conduct an independent investigation of the March 1 inmate death. In Dallas, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office has been appointed to investigate a March 11, 2025, inmate death.
Jails are required to file custodial death reports with the Office of the Attorney General within 30 days.
The Texas Rule About Investigations into Jail Deaths
Texas rules added a key provision about jail deaths when the Sandra Bland Act went into effect in 2017. Since that time, TCJS has been obligated to ensure that independent third-party law enforcement agencies investigate all county and municipal jail inmate deaths. Instead, Texas sheriff’s offices responsible for jail operations have been allowed to choose which law enforcement agencies they want appointed to investigate the deaths of detainees in their custody.
In March 11, 2025, news, TCJS Executive Director Brandon Wood allegedly acknowledged that the Commission merely approves the investigating agencies chosen by sheriffs for each custodial death, though he did not respond to interview requests on the topic. Civil attorney Dean Malone–whose firm represents people in jail neglect, abuse, and suicide cases–says that, to his knowledge, TCJS is not appointing third-party law enforcement agencies to investigate each death. Mr. Malone further said that this failure to act has resulted in merely “rubber stamp” reviews of the sheriff’s departments’ accounts of what happened when custodial deaths occur in the jails under their jurisdictions.
Two March 2025 Jail Suicides are Under Investigation by the Texas Rangers
Jail suicides should always invite scrutiny. Because suicide is the leading cause of death in city and county jails, suicide prevention is a critical responsibility of jail staff. Of the jails and custodial deaths listed along with the appointed agencies, only the custodial death reports (CDRs) for the inmate deaths in Ector, El Paso, Bastrop, Dallas, and Taylor Counties have been posted to date. Tragically, two of those deaths are shown as suicides. Details follow:
- A 46-year-old male entered Ector County Jail on February 21, 2025, and was placed in a single cell. He did not make a suicidal statement upon entry to the jail. However, he had advised jail staff that he was detoxing off alcohol and drugs, which is a circumstance that is known to place inmates at a heightened risk for suicide. On February 24, 2025, video cameras in the ceiling of his cell captured the inmate tying his bed sheet to a mesh wire wall, wrapping the sheet around his neck, and stepping off the bed, hanging himself. He hung there for approximately 20 minutes before a detention officer discovered him and cut him down. Lifesaving efforts began immediately, but he finally succumbed to the injuries from the suicide attempt on March 1, 2025.
- On March 7, 2025, a 54-year-old male entered El Paso Jail. He was discovered hanging in the general population Cellblock 540 at 12:10 PM on March 9, 2025. Despite lifesaving efforts, he was pronounced deceased at 4:25 PM that same day.
Seeking Legal Support for a Jail Death Case?
If you believe a loved one’s death in a jail facility resulted from medical neglect, it’s crucial to take immediate action. Inmates, including pretrial detainees, have a constitutional right to proper medical care. When correctional staff fail to provide adequate treatment or demonstrate deliberate indifference to an inmate’s health and well-being, they can and should be held accountable.
At the Law Offices of Dean Malone, we are committed to seeking justice in cases involving jail deaths resulting from neglect, abuse, or medical negligence. Our dedicated team is here to provide legal support. Reach out today by phone or through our online form.
