The Hill County jail was listed as non-compliant by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) last week after a recent inspection. Chief Deputy Scott Robinson said last week that the majority of issues found during the inspection have been corrected.
According to TCJS documents, five minimum standards were violated in the most recent inspection. Two violations involved the jail’s handling of inmates, while three others related to training and inspections.
In reviewing inmate restraint logs, the inspector noted that staff exceeded required 15-minute observation checks by one to 21 minutes. Standards require that documented observations are conducted every 15 minutes and include an assessment of the security of restraints and circulation to extremities.
Robinson said that the sheriff’s office will have to submit restraint chair logs for the next 30 days, along with training rosters showing employees have been trained on use of the chair and documentation showing that staff conducted timely rounds.
“We seldom use the restraint chair; however, once an inmate is placed into it, we are required to check the tightness of the wrist and ankle straps every 15 minutes,” Robinson said. “All shifts will have received additional training on the restraint chair by Monday (March 3).”
The chief deputy said that the jail will also send training rosters for employee training on completing suicide screening forms. “We are required to send the suicide screening forms via email to the magistrate within 12 hours,” he said. “Two of the numerous forms the inspector reviewed didn’t make the 12-hour requirement, so we were dinged for it. We had some employees not complete the forms entirely, leaving off a date or the time, for instance. Employees were talked to by their lieutenant on the importance of completing the forms accurately.”
TCJS also reported that inmate recreation documentation failed to show that each inmate is allowed one hour of supervised physical exercise or recreation at least three days per week, as required.
“We have to email recreation logs each week showing each inmate was offered/received recreation time at least three times per week, and we must send logs for the next 30-45 days,” Robinson said.
The commission noted that the life safety training for the third and fourth quarters of 2023 was not completed as required. Standards state that all jail personnel must be trained for emergency situations immediately upon employment and no less than each calendar quarter.
The TCJS inspector also noted that quarterly fire prevention and fire hazard inspections were not conducted for the third and fourth quarters of 2023. Jails are required to have and implement a written plan for fire prevention and a fire hazard inspection checklist, which is evaluated at least quarterly.
“We have to send training rosters for ‘Life Safety and Fire Hazard inspections’ — fire drill and SCBA training logs — to the inspector for the first and second quarters of the year, so the earliest we will be returned to ‘compliant status’ will be in April,” Robinson explained. “The employee who had volunteered to do the training and keep the reports is a volunteer firefighter and has since been let go.”
The jail received another violation for the Ansul fire suppression system in the kitchen being overdue for an inspection. According to the TCJS report, it was last inspected in March 2023, which placed the inspection overdue by 10 months.
Robinson explained that the Ansul system is a pre-engineered, automatic fire suppression system that can tackle large, hazardous fires without human intervention.
“We were able to get it inspected and send photos of the inspection tag to the inspector the next day,” Robinson said.
Robinson said that another note about tuberculosis screening was actually handled correctly by the jail. “Oddly enough, the inspector told us that the ding he gave us on our TB plan was not our fault because we had sent the report in on time, but DSHS (Department of State Health Services) hadn’t reviewed it.”
TCJS notified the sheriff February 27 that the county will be subject to enhanced enforcement for being in non-compliance twice in the past 18 months — once in June 2023 and again in the latest inspection.
The increased monitoring includes two unannounced comprehensive inspections within 12 months, and the sheriff’s office will also have to submit a monthly status report and supporting documentation to TCJS.
“At the end of the day, it’s on us, but we have corrected the issues and now we have to send the Jail Commission reports for a period of time before we are placed back into compliance,” said Robinson.
The Lakelander 