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Category: Texas Commission on Jail Standards

Grimes County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

Silhouette of barbed wires and watchtower of prison.

Grimes County Jail is among the non-compliant jails currently listed on the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) website. In an October 23, 2023, notice of noncompliance, Grimes County Jail is advised of the results of a special jail inspection conducted on the same day. The Anderson, Texas, jail has been cited for an alleged violation of one minimum jail standard. The address of Grimes County Jail is 382 FM 149, Anderson, TX 77830. The jail has a 111-bed capacity.

Grimes County Jail is Cited for Non-Compliance with Rule §275.1- Regular Observation by Jailers

Rule §275.1- Regular Observation by Jailers is in the chapter on the Supervision of Inmates, as follows:

Every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes. Observation shall be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are confined.

  • The TCJS inspector’s note on noncompliance says that during the review of an escape, it was determined the inmate went unobserved for over 60 minutes before it was determined he was missing.

Obviously, this special jail inspection was initiated because a detainee escaped the premises.

According to a Grimes County website, as of January 11, 2022, the jail had passed 23 consecutive inspections. That record took a turn in 2023. In addition to the above citation in October 2023, Grimes County Jail was cited for noncompliance on January 12. This citation was also related to face-to-face observations of detainees. The rule that was violated was §273.6(3)-Restraints. The inspector’s notes follow:

  • Restraint chair logs indicated that on multiple occasions staff exceeded the mandated 15-minute observation checks from between 2 and 11 minutes.
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smchugh

A Midland County Detainee Dies After Denying Food for 10 Days-Pt.2

Silhouette of barbed wires and watchtower of prison.

The Midland County Sheriff’s Office filed a custodial death report (CDR) pertaining to 29-year-old John Michael Soza on October 19, 2023. Jail records showed that Mr. Soza refused food for about 10 days, beginning approximately on September 17th. After being transferred to Midland Memorial Hospital on September 25, he was pronounced deceased while still in the care of the hospital on October 15, 2023.

A Detainee at Midland County Jail Commits Suicide

A tragedy occurred at Midland County Jail in Midland, Texas, in May 2019. Thirty-six-year-old Christopher Beau Duboise used a shirt to hang himself in a detox cell. This occurred despite suicide prevention guidelines set out by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS).

Mr. Duboise was arrested by the Midland County Sheriff’s Office. He was taken to Midland County Jail at 9:00 p.m. on May 23. During intake, as a result of the detainee’s answers to suicide screening questions, he was assigned to DETOX-D in the holding area. Face-to-face observation checks are required in holding cells and detox cells every 30 minutes or less.

According to the CDR prepared about the death of Mr. Duboise, he was checked on at 9:55 p.m. The officer asked if he needed water. The next check was at 10:12 p.m., and the officer discovered that Mr. Duboise was hanging by his neck from the handicap bar at the back of the cell.

See Part 1 and this continuing series.

Providing help to municipal and county detainees in Texas is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention on this site to accuse any person or institution of unlawful activity.

–Guest Contributor

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smchugh

Mills County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

Inside The Old Idaho State Penitentiary

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) currently lists Mills County Jail in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. A Notice of Non-Compliance was sent to Mills County on October 11, 2023. It specifies the minimum jail standard the jail was cited for in a special jail inspection report issued on October 9, 2023. TCJS inspectors allege that the Goldthwaite, Texas, jail violated 1 minimum jail standard.

The address of Mills County Jail is 2111 Priddy Rd, Goldthwaite, TX 76844. The jail has a 715-bed capacity. Details on the alleged noncompliance follow.

Rule §273.5(a)(1)- Training

Mills County Jail has been cited for violating Rule §273.5(a)(1)- Training, which is in the chapter on Health Services, as follows: (a) Each sheriff/operator shall develop and implement a mental disabilities/suicide prevention plan, in coordination with available medical and mental health officials, approved by the Commission by March 31, 1997. The plan shall address the following principles and procedures: (1) Training. Provisions for staff training (including frequency and duration) on the procedures for recognition, supervision, documentation, and handling of inmates who are mentally disabled and/or potentially suicidal. Supplemental training should be provided to those staff members responsible for intake screening.

  • During a review of training documents, it was discovered that only 1 out of 12 jailers had completed the suicide prevention training for the annual requirement as stated in their operational plans.

Detainees in Mills County Jail may not have had the benefit of effective suicide prevention measures during the time of the alleged lack of suicide prevention training among the correctional staff.

 

author avatar
smchugh

Midland County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has recently listed Midland County Jail in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. A Notice of Non-Compliance was issued on October 11, 2023. It specifies the minimum jail standard the jail was cited for in a jail inspection report issued on October 9-10, 2023. TCJS inspectors allege that the Midland, Texas, jail violated 1 minimum jail standard.

The address of Midland County Jail is 400 S Main St, Midland, TX 79701. The jail has a housing capacity of 500 inmates. Details on alleged noncompliance follow.

Rule §285.1-Physical Exercise

Midland County Jail has been cited for violating Rule §285.1-Physical Exercise, which is in the chapter on Recreation and Exercise. Each facility shall have and implement a written plan, approved by the Commission, for inmate physical exercise and physical recreation. Documentation of physical exercise and physical recreation shall be maintained for Commission review. Each inmate shall be allowed one hour of supervised physical exercise or physical recreation at least three days per week.

  • Staff could not provide logs indicating 3 days of recreation or physical activity per week was offered, as required.

Midland County Jail received another notice of non-compliance on April 3, 2023, regarding a jail inspection report issued on March 28, 2023. The jail was cited for failing to provide 15 jailers with training for emergency situations. One other violation was regarding restraints. Allegedly, Midland County Jail placed inmates in a restraint chair on 38 occasions where no 15-minute face-to-face observations were documented.

author avatar
smchugh

Denton County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

3d interior Jail

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) currently lists Denton County Jail in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. A Notice of Non-Compliance was issued on August 28, 2023. It specifies the minimum jail standard the jail was cited for in a jail inspection report also issued on August 28, 2023. TCJS inspectors allege that the Denton, Texas, jail violated 1 minimum jail standard.

The address of Denton County Jail is 127 N Woodrow Ln # 300, Denton, TX 76205. The jail has a 1,400-bed capacity. Details on alleged noncompliance follow.

Rule §275.1-Regular Observations by Jailers

Denton County Jail was found to be non-compliant with the following rule in the chapter on the supervision of detainees. Rule §275.1-Regular Observations by Jailers states that every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes. Observation shall be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are confined.

  • A review of documentation and video received after a custodial death revealed that while jailers made observation rounds, the jailers did not view the inmate face-to-face as required by minimum jail standards.

Following an inspection conducted from March 8 through 10, 2022, Denton County Jail was cited for 5 violations of minimum jail standards. The rule listed above was also an area of noncompliance last year. Typically, actions to be completed on rule violations are due upon receipt of the latest notice.

author avatar
smchugh

Bosque County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

Inside The Old Idaho State Penitentiary

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) currently lists Bosque County Jail in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. A Notice of Non-Compliance was issued on October 10, 2023. It specifies the minimum jail standards the jail was cited for in a jail inspection report issued on October 5, 2023. TCJS inspectors allege that the Meridian, Texas, jail violated 4 minimum jail standards.

The address of Bosque County Jail is 266 FM 2840, Meridian, TX 76665. The jail has a housing capacity of 32 detainees. Details on alleged noncompliance follow.

Rule §273.5(b)-Screening Instrument

Bosque County Jail has been cited for violating Rule §273.5(b)-Screening Instrument, which is in the chapter on Health Services, as follows: An approved mental disabilities/suicide prevention screening instrument shall be completed immediately on all inmates admitted.

  • During a review of the Suicide/Mental Health Questionnaires, it was revealed that the questionnaires are not being completed in their entirety.

Rule §273.5(c)(2)- Mental Health/Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities History Check

Bosque County Jail has been cited for violating Rule §273.5(c)(2)- Mental Health/Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities History Check, which is also in the chapter on Health Services, as follows: (2) maintain documentation to be available at the time of inspection showing that information for each inmate designated in paragraph (1) of this subsection was submitted for CCQ/IDD system checks, to include notification to the magistrate and the Local Mental Health Authority or Local Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Authority as per CCP 16.22(a)(1).

  • Further review of the Suicide/Mental Health Questionnaires revealed that the magistrate is not being notified, as required by CCP 16.22 on all occasions necessitated by responses on the questionnaire. The documentation provided showed that the information on the questionnaire does not match the information on the magistrate notification form.

Rule §275.1-Regular Observation by Jailers

Bosque County Jail has been cited for violating Rule §275.1-Regular Observation by Jailers, which is in the chapter on the Supervision of Inmates, as follows: Every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes. Observation shall be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are confined.

  • During a review of the observation logs for the week of July 1-7, 2023, it was determined that on multiple occasions, staff failed to make face-to-face observations as required. Face-to-face observation times were exceeded by a minimum of 1 minute to a maximum of 60 minutes.

Rule §285.1- Physical Exercise

Bosque County Jail has been cited for violating Rule §285.1- Physical Exercise, which is in the chapter on Recreation and Exercise, as follows:  Each facility shall have and implement a written plan, approved by the Commission, for inmate physical exercise and physical recreation. Documentation of physical exercise and physical recreation shall be maintained for Commission review. Each inmate shall be allowed one hour of supervised physical exercise or physical recreation at least three days per week.

  • During the review of recreation logs it was determined that inmates did not receive the required 3 days of physical recreation or supervised physical activity.
author avatar
smchugh

Tyler County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) currently lists Tyler County Jail in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. A Notice of Non-Compliance was sent to Tyler County on October 4, 2023. It specifies the minimum jail standard the jail was cited for in a special jail inspection report issued on the same date. TCJS inspectors allege that the Woodville, Texas, jail violated 1 minimum jail standard.

The address of Tyler County Jail is 702 N Magnolia St, Woodville, TX 75979. The jail has a housing capacity of 43 detainees. Details on alleged noncompliance follow.

Rule §259.134- Multiple Occupancy Cells

Tyler County Jail has been cited for violating Rule §259.134- Multiple Occupancy Cells, which is in the chapter on New Construction Rules, as follows: Multiple occupancy cells shall contain two to eight bunks and not less than 40 square feet of clear floor space for the first bunk plus 18 square feet of clear floor space for each additional bunk. Each multiple occupancy cell shall have one toilet and lavatory. Multiple occupancy cells should not be provided in direct supervision facilities.

  • During the investigation of complaint 33850, it was discovered that the Tyler County Jail has exceeded its maximum capacity (per housing and overall) daily from 8/28/2023 to 9/5/2023.

Overcrowding in Texas jails causes problems and put detainees at risk in various ways. Jail overcrowding results in lack of privacy, causes or exacerbates mental health problems, and results in increased rates of self-harm, violence, and suicide.

author avatar
smchugh

Cass County, Texas Jail Fails State Inspection

The Cass County jail, in Linden, Texas, failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”). The Cass County jail is now listed by the TCJS as being non-compliant. The inspection occurred on or about November 19, 2020. The Cass County jail violated six minimum jail standards.

The TCJS inspector noted that the facility generator failed to operate automatically when power was disconnected to the facility. The TCJS inspector also noticed that the fire alarm panel for the courthouse was red-tagged nearly a year earlier – on December 19, 2019. Repairs to the courthouse fire alarm system had not been completed as of the time of the inspection.

Further, a TCJS minimum standard requires emergency power equipment to be tested at least once each week, and electric load transferred to the circuits at least monthly. However, at the Cass County jail, required monthly load tests of the generator were not conducted from January 2020 to October 2020. Further, the generator test documentation for the week of October 23, 2020 to October 27, 2020 was listed as “vacation.”

Regarding inmates, the Cass County, Texas jail violated a minimum standard regarding training. Staff who had not completed the required four hours training for principles, procedures, and instruments for classification assessments, housing assessments, reassessments, and inmate needs were nonetheless performing inmate classification duties.

Further, logs for times when Cass County, Texas inmates were put into restraint chairs indicated that staff exceeded the required 15-minute observations by as little as 2 minutes and by as long as 11 minutes on multiple occasions. This is an important jail standard, as inmates can die or suffer serious injury without appropriate observation. Finally, the Cass County jail violated the minimum standard requiring each inmate to be allowed one hour of supervised physical exercise or recreation at least 3 days per week.

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Dean Malone Lead Trial Lawyer - Jail Neglect
Education: Baylor University School of Law
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Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.

Terrell County Jail in Sanderson, Texas Fails State Inspection

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Interior of solitary confinement cell with metal bed, desk and toilet in old prison.

The Terrell County jail failed an inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards on September 9, 2020.  As of the date of this post, the Terrell County jail, in Sanderson, Texas, is now on a list of non-compliant jails in Texas.  Hopefully, the Terrell County jail will bring itself into compliance. 

author avatar
Dean Malone Lead Trial Lawyer - Jail Neglect
Education: Baylor University School of Law
social network icon social network icon

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.

Jasper County, Texas Jail Found to be Out of Compliance

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Inside The Old Idaho State Penitentiary

A Texas Commission on Jail Standards (“TCJS”) inspection recently found the Jasper County jail to be out of compliance with State standards. This determination was made as a result of a January 14, 2020 inspection.

The TCJS inspector, while reviewing inmate medical files, determined that an inmate had not had his or her medication reviewed or verified from the date of booking until the date of the inspection. That inmate had been booked in August 2019.

The TCJS inspector also found the Jasper County jail to be in violation of Texas standards relating to health records. The inspector noted, while reviewing inmate medical files, that medication administration record sheets were not being properly and accurately completed by jail staff who were administering medications.

author avatar
Dean Malone Lead Trial Lawyer - Jail Neglect
Education: Baylor University School of Law
social network icon social network icon

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.

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