Category: City Jails|County Jails|Outside Texas

A county jail outside of Texas has recently gone to great lengths to legally dispense methadone, and it is the nation’s second jail with that capability. Research shows that approximately 65% of the people incarcerated in the US have substance use disorders (SUDs). Inmates with drug problems impact Texas as much as any other state. With that in mind along with the fact that jails are invariably seeking ways to meet inmates’ needs more affordably, the following is more information about this story regarding the second US jail to use methadone.

Methadone is dispensed to inmates in recovery. A jailer with decades of experience said that, with this development, the jail is treating offenders as well as the public. This is significant, he said because inmates can avoid a lapse in treatment when they are booked into jail.

The program behind this successful endeavor is best described as medically assisted treatment (MAT). Counseling and intake screening are combined to determine which candidates are appropriate for the program.

Among the frustrations that were involved with securing this capability, a jailer said that providers of methadone are excessively driven by profit. It is believed, however, that the jail will cut expenses as a result of allowing correctional staff members to provide prisoners with every aspect of their rehabilitation.

See this continuing series for additional information.

The information on this site’s posts is provided as a resource that could be of assistance. At no time is there an intention to imply that a person or institution has been engaged in any sort of misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

Alleged Constitutional Rights Violation Continued

After the aforementioned assault, the victim required medical treatment from emergency medical responders. Allegedly, the assaulted inmate was not found by jail staff until a substantial amount of time had passed.

The Sheriff’s Department in charge of the jail is accused of failing to properly and adequately train jail staff, to monitor their performance on the job, and to staff an appropriate number of trained employees at the jail.

Alleged Governmental Abuses

A third former inmate bringing complaints against the county jail accuses the jail of committing gross governmental abuses and showing indifference toward duties in sentencing the inmate. In effect, the inmate claims that he was illegally incarcerated for more than a year and also was:

• Denied medical care,
• Subjected to outrageous conduct, and
• Denied access to the justice system.

The inmate alleges that other inmates were solicited by a court-appointed attorney to administer “jailhouse justice” to him. He says that statements in a report linked to his charges were total fabrications.

The judge in the case has allegedly acknowledged that he made a sentencing error that resulted in the inmate being illegally incarcerated for 392 days.

See Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 of this four-part series to learn more about the inmates who have accused a county jail outside Texas of neglect and civil rights violations. Inmates have constitutional rights that they don’t lose while being detained in a city or county jail.

The purpose of this and all other posts on this website is to provide information. There is no intent to suggest actions of misconduct on the part of any institution or individual.

–Guest Contributor