Category: Medical Care

The custodial death report for Jeremy Alan Renkel prepared by the Harris County Sheriff’s Department in Houston, Texas, shows that he died in county jail custody on May 30, 2021. The coroner has indicated that Mr. Renkel died of natural causes.

Suicide prevention is one of the ways in which jails have a duty to protect inmates. This issue is vital because suicide is the leading cause of custodial deaths across the U.S. Jailers have a crucial role in preventing inmate suicide because those who are at risk are placed where they will have increased supervision. The presence of other people is the greatest deterrent for committing suicide. Other measures are taken to prevent inmate suicides, as well.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) requires every jail to have a suicide prevention plan. Part of the plan is to train jailers. Jail staff must be able to recognize, supervise, document, and handle suicidal inmates. If there is no training for jailers, inmates who are at risk for suicide are not as likely to receive the protection they are entitled to in a custodial situation.

It is disturbing any time a jail inspection report reveals that issues such as suicide prevention have been neglected. As an example, the following is information about non-compliance in a Texas county jail. The date of the jail inspection report is September 27, 2021.

RULE §273.5 (1) – Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan

This rule requires that jail staff will be provided with suicide prevention training. This includes supplemental training for staff members involved in the process of intake screening.

• An inspector with TCJS noted that suicide prevention training for members of the jail staff was not conducted during the past 12 months as required by minimum jail standards.

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

This website never intends to suggest that any person or entity has been a participant in wrongdoing of any sort. All posts on this site are added as potentially helpful resources for inmates in county jails in Texas.

–Guest Contributor

Records show that Jeremy Alan Renkel was booked into Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, on May 7th, 2020. Just over a year later on May 30, 2021, Mr. Renkel was found on the floor of his cell in an unresponsive state. He had no pulse and was pronounced dead soon after at a local hospital.

Another jail inspection report released in October 2021 reflects non-compliance of a county jail in Texas regarding an issue involving neglect of inmate medical care.

RULE §273.6 (3) – Restraints

This Texas rule requires certain care when an inmate is being held in restraints. Inmates can be placed in a restraint if they are behaving in a manner that threatens harm or injury to themselves or others. The restraints are not supposed to be used as a punitive measure. An important requirement is for inmates to be observed every 15 minutes at most. Documentation of these observations includes noting that the inmate has not lost circulation to his or her extremities. 

• In a jail inspection report dated October 7th, 2021, a TCJS inspector noted that documentation related to the use of a restraint chair shows that, on multiple occasions, jail staff was 1 to 5 minutes late for the task of making observation checks every 15 minutes at most.

Learn more in Part 1 and this ongoing series.

This website never intends to suggest that any person or entity has been a participant in wrongdoing of any sort. All posts on this site are added as potentially helpful resources for inmates in county jails in Texas.

–Guest Contributor 

Jeremy Alan Renkel was 41 years old when he died on May 30, 2021. He was in the custody of Harris County Jail in Houston, Texas, at the time of his death. The medical examiner listed natural causes as the manner of death.

Inmates in county jails have a right to health services, including mental, medical, and dental care. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has mandated that each Texas county jail is to implement an approved health services plan. The following are among the medical care services for inmates that must be provided:

• Regularly scheduled sick calls
• Medical, mental, and dental care
• Prompt and efficient care during emergencies and in acute situations

TCJS has indicated at various times that most of the complaints directed at Texas county jails are in regard to inmate medical care. Information about all non-compliant jails is made public, and it does not appear that accountability measures encompass a way to expose all situations in which there may be lapses in standards of inmate medical care. However, the following details about a non-compliant Texas county jail show one of a few areas in which medical care requirements are routinely documented for perusal by TCJS inspectors. 

Jail Inspection Report on Non-Compliance Dated 10/6/21

According to Texas RULE §273.2 (7) in the Health Services Plan, procedures for distributing prescriptions in accordance with a doctor’s written instructions by an appropriate person who has been designated by the sheriff or other jail operator must be in place.

• In a jail inspection report dated October 6th, 2021, the TCJS inspector noted that medication administration records were reviewed, and the records did not show evidence that medications are being distributed to inmates in accordance with doctors’ written instructions.

Learn more in this ongoing series.

It is not intended on this website to infer wrongdoing on any person or organization. The purpose of each of this site’s posts is to assist county jail inmates in Texas, whether they are incarcerated currently or in the past.

–Guest Contributor 

The Dickens County jail, in Spur, Texas, failed a Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”) inspection. The inspection occurred on October 15, 2021.

The TCJS inspector noted that staff were not completing the Screening Form for Suicide and Medical/Mental/Developmental Impairments in its entirety. This was also an area of technical assistance provided to the Dickens County jail during the 2020 inspection. Our Texas jail neglect law firm unfortunately handles a number of suicide cases in which the referenced screening form is not completed in its entirety, or not completed at all. It is extremely important for jailers, during the intake process, to not only complete the form, but act on information obtained as a result. Texas law requires that jails notify a judge in the event questions are answered in a certain way. Hopefully, the failure to complete the report in the Dickens County jail did not lead to any injury or death.

The Howard County jail, in Big Spring, Texas, recently failed a Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”) inspection. The inspection occurred on October 7, 2021. The Howard County, Texas jail is now listed as being non-compliant with the TCJS.

The TCJS inspection report indicates five items of non-compliance. The jail’s fire inspection was 34 days overdue. Further, restraint chair documentation revealed that jail staff exceeded the required 15-minute observation checks by as little as one minute and by as many as five minutes, on multiple occasions. Inmate living areas were unsanitary with excess property and nuisance contraband throughout. There was also excess graffiti on the walls. The facility’s health department was four months overdue. Finally, there were a number of maintenance items which the jail needed to address. Hopefully, the Howard County, Texas jail will bring itself into compliance with minimum standards.

The Red River County jail, in Clarksville, Texas, failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”) and is now listed as being non-compliant. The inspection occurred on or about October 6, 2021.

The TCJS inspector determined, after reviewing medication administration records (“MARs”), that those records failed to show that medications were being distributed in accordance with written instructions from a physician. The inspection report also indicated that inmates were not being allowed at least one hour of supervised recreation at least three days per week.

The finding regarding MARs is troubling. Our law firm is currently litigating and planning to go to trial next year on claims against Red River County as a result of the death of Christopher Cabler. Mr. Cabler committed suicide in the Red River County jail. An investigation into his death, conducted by a Texas Ranger, resulted in information indicating that the jail, with regard to Mr. Cabler, failed to properly complete MARS and also failed to assure that he had been taking needed medications. It appears that Red River County has failed to change its policy, practice, and/or custom related to administering medications. Hopefully, the latest issue addressed by the TCJS did not result in a death or serious injury.

Scott Carl / Carl Scott died in the custody of Liberty County Jail in Liberty, Texas, on September 29th, 2021. His cause of death is currently unknown and pending the results of an autopsy. Standard procedures dictate that his death will probably be investigated by the Texas Rangers.

RULE §273.5(1) – Suicide Prevention Continued

An inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) added the following comment about alleged non-compliance with Rule §273.5(1):

Suicide prevention is a crucial issue as suicide is the leading cause of death in jails across the nation. The rate of custodial suicide is significantly higher than the suicide rate among those in the remaining population. Many studies have been conducted, and it is consistently shown that numerous factors contribute to the potential for inmates to become suicidal.

Supervision is a key factor in preventing inmate suicide. Sadly, local budgets often interfere with the ability to meet TCJS requirements. Although spending issues cannot excuse the failure to follow adopted suicide prevention policies, county jail records often show that jails operate with an inadequate number of jailers to meet requirements for inmate supervision.

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this continuing series.

This website never intends to suggest that misdeeds have occurred on the part of persons or organizations. The purpose of each post is to provide inmates in Texas county jails with potentially helpful resources.

–Guest Contributor 

When 32-year-old Veronica Carmona Peranez was in the police vehicle that transported her to Brownsville City Jail in Brownsville, Texas, she reportedly banged her head against the partition panel in the vehicle at least two times. Once at the jail, Ms. Peranez was placed in a padded cell and seemingly not checked on between 6:20 pm and 10:02 pm. She was then discovered to be unresponsive and was pronounced dead 4 hours and 4 minutes after being booked.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) conducts an annual inspection at all Texas county jails. It is frequently discovered that jails are non-compliant in areas that affect inmate safety. The following is an example.

RULE §273.6(3) – Restraints

A TCJS inspector cited this restraint requirement in a Jail Inspection Report dated December 15-16, 2019, for a Texas county jail. The personal observations of an inmate in a restraint chair must be made at intervals no longer than every 15 minutes. During these face-to-face checks, it must be confirmed that the circulation to the inmate’s extremities has not been cut off.

• According to the inspector, the restraint chair logs indicate that the time frame for 15-minute observation checks was exceeded by the jail staff on multiple occasions for a period of 1 to 22 minutes.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

Each of the posts on this website is provided as a way of helping Texas county jail inmates, whether incarcerated currently or previously. There is no intention on this site to implicate that persons or entities have been engaged in improprieties.

–Guest Contributor

Scott Carl / Carl Scott was booked into Liberty County Jail in Liberty, Texas, on June 19, 2021. The custodial death report on Mr. Carl also shows that he died on September 29th, 2021, shortly after he was found in a state of pain and distress.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) is in charge of operations in county jails in Texas. Preventing custodial deaths is among the goals in providing appropriate operational procedures within county jail systems. Conducting annual inspections of each county jail facility in Texas is the primary method of enforcement of minimum jail standards.

Oftentimes, jail inspection reports on non-compliant jails reveal that steps in suicide prevention have been missed or handled in ways that do not meet requirements. Such was the case in a jail inspection report released on September 27th, 2021. A Texas county jail was allegedly non-compliant with regard to seven minimum jail standards. On the report, an inspector with TCJS included a violation of a rule pertaining to training on how to prevent inmate suicides.

RULE §273.5(1) – Suicide Prevention

The rule cited states that training must be provided to staff members on how to recognize, supervise, document, and handle inmates with mental disabilities and those who are at risk for suicide. The rule also adds that staff members who handle intake screening must have supplemental training, as well.

See Part 1 and, in this ongoing series, learn details about the above-referenced non-compliance and more.

This website never intends to suggest that misdeeds have occurred on the part of persons or organizations. The purpose of each post is to provide inmates in Texas county jails with potentially helpful resources.

–Guest Contributor 

Twenty-five-year-old Rick Dillion Criswell was booked into Hale County Jail in Plainview, Texas, on April 10, 2021. On June 22, 2021, he was found dead, hanging by his neck in a single medical cell.

Suicide is either the first or second leading cause of death in virtually all county jails. A tremendous amount of research has gone into custodial suicide. The results of one study found that the following are indisputable truths about managing inmates for purposes of suicide prevention:

• Thousands of inmates in custody across the nation, at any given moment, are making plans to act on suicidal intentions.
• Budgeting hardships frequently result in inadequate levels of staffing that hinder the capability of effectively monitoring ultra-high-risk offenders.

County jail administrators do not seem to recognize that staffing shortages do not justify instances of inmate suicide. At the same time, it is nonsensical to think that every inmate who is potentially suicidal can be kept on constant observation. Thankfully, supervision is not the only measure that can hinder the efforts of inmates to commit suicide. Providing inmates with smocks, paper sheets, and break-away showerheads are among the affordable means for helping to prevent custodial suicide.

In Part 2 and Part 3, of this series, learn specific measures to affordably prevent inmate suicide.

There is no intention on this website to assert that any person or entity has been involved in misdeeds. Each post added to this site is intended as a resource to specifically benefit county jail inmates in Texas, whether currently or formerly incarcerated.

–Guest Contributor