Category: County Jails|Custodial Death|Jail Inspections|Medical Care|Non-Compliant Jails|Restraint Chair|Restraints|Texas Commission on Jail Standards

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

Wharton County Jail in Wharton, Texas 77488 is located at 315 E Elm Street. The jail’s bed capacity is 144, and the contact phone number is (979) 282-9555. The Wharton County Sheriff’s duties encompass operations of the Wharton County Jail. The requirements for jail operations are set by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). The organization also has the duty of the enforcement of minimum jail standards in Texas county jails. Accountability is achieved through annual jail inspections and, for those that are non-compliant, follow-up scrutiny and oversight.

Restraint Chairs

TCJS allows jail staff members to use approved restraint devices for the control of inmates threatening harm with their behavior. Among those approved devices are restraint chairs, which are controversial. Various studies of US jails have revealed startling abuse connected to restraint chairs. In addition, there have even been custodial deaths associated with the restrictive devices.

Although various jurisdictions in the US have banned the use of these chairs, they are still approved in all Texas county jails. It is essential for the jailer operating the chair to read instructions and understand them. Otherwise, per manufacturers’ instructions, the inmate placed in the chair could be seriously injured or could even die.

Using restraints is closely linked to receiving medical care in Texas jails. The association makes sense because, for instance, blood circulation can be cut off, threatening the life of inmates. Restraint chairs in particular cause such immobility for a person that they are in danger of developing a pulmonary embolism or life-threatening blood clot.

This website’s posts are meant as an aid to Texas county jail prisoners, past and present. There is no intention on this site to infer misdeeds on the part of persons or entities.

–Guest Contributor