The Falls County jail has failed yet another state inspection. We previously wrote about the Falls County jail, which is located in Marlin, Texas, on July 30, 2019. We also wrote about that jail on May 6, 2019 and April 8, 2019. One must wonder why the jail cannot bring itself into compliance with Texas State standards.
The latest inspection of the Falls County jail occurred on May 11, 2020. The TCJS inspector noted that there were violations of three minimum standards. First, a standard requires that training of staff for emergency situations be provided immediately upon employment and no less than each calendar quarter for all jail personnel, to include fire, emergency, evacuation drills, and location and use of equipment. The inspector noted during his inspection that documentation did not exist for all staff during the fourth quarter of 2019 and first quarter of 2020.
The TCJS inspector also found that the jail violated the initial custody assessment requirement, which is to be completed for all newly-admitted inmates before housing assignments. The TCJS inspector noted that inmates had been incorrectly classified and/or housed. This is a serious violation, because an inmate could be placed with a more violent inmate and thus be subjected to assault.
Finally, the Falls County jail violated a standard which our Texas civil rights law firm does not often see violated. The minimum standard requires employed or appointed as jailers in Texas county jails, or people appointed, employed, or assigned to directly supervise jailers, to be licensed. Every jail administrator in Texas should know this requirement. However, when reviewing licensing, the inspector noted that a staff member working on the jail floor since February 2020 did not have a valid Texas Commission on Law Enforcement license. There is no excuse for a jail employing non-licensed jailers.
Hopefully, the Falls County jail in Marlin, Texas, will bring itself into compliance with minimum standards. These standards are in place not only for the protection of prisoners, but also for personnel employed at the jail.
