Denton County Jail fails Texas jail standards inspection; inmate death cited in report
The Denton County Jail is one of 19 Texas holding facilities currently listed as non-compliant with the Texas Minimum Jail Standards.
The Denton County Jail was cited for five violations, including one that may have contributed to the death of a woman who was serving time for assault-related charges, according to a Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspection report.
The county jail underwent its inspection in early March alongside 96 other facilities, Brandon Wood, the commission’s executive director, told the Denton Record-Chronicle. Twenty-six jails were cited for non-compliance, and the commission says counties are “removed immediately (from the list) upon attaining compliance.”
Nineteen facilities remained on the list as of Friday morning.
The Denton County Jail failed its inspection because of several violations, including a back-up generator that failed when tested and it was cited for multiple violations to fire-safety codes, including an inoperable fire alarm system, a “red” tagged fire alarm panel that hasn’t been fixed since 2021, and failing its annual inspection from the fire marshal twice last year where “corrections for the deficiencies noted on the inspection report have not been corrected.”
In addition to the fire violations and failing back-up generator, the jail inspection report said facilities are required to observe all inmates face-to-face at least once every hour, or once every 30 minutes if the inmate is assaultive, suicidal or mentally ill.
The report said video footage showed that staff in Denton failed to “conduct a proper face-to-face observation of an inmate in Holding 1.”
“Staff merely scanned the electronic tag without actually seeing the inmate in the holding cell,” the report read. “The inmate suffered a medical emergency resulting in death while in the holding cell.”
According to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office, 53-year-old Helen Jackson died on the morning of Dec. 29, 2021, at the county jail.
Jackson was pronounced dead around 6:35 a.m. and although her autopsy was completed, her cause of death remains undetermined.
According to the Record-Chronicle, Jackson was booked into jail three times over the course of a year and a half. Her first arrest came in May 2020 on a charge of assault causing bodily injury to a family member. She was released about two weeks after her arrest but was booked again in mid-June of 2020 for violation of a bond or protective order.
Released later that month, Jackson was booked for a third time in November 2021 for another violation to her bond or protective order.
On Dec. 29, an observation check was conducted around 5:08 a.m., the Record-Chronicle reported.
“At 5:10 a.m., Jackson lay down in the center of the holdover and stopped moving at about 5:13 a.m., according to the report,” the Denton newspaper reported. “Staff performed an observation check at 5:32 a.m. without actually seeing the inmate, the report states. A staff member checked on the inmate at 5:37 a.m. and summoned medical assistance.”
Jackson was pronounced dead about an hour later.
“The inspection report notes no follow-up action from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards was required and that the jail administration would take corrective action with staff internally,” the Record-Chronicle reported.
Assistant Chief Deputy Barry Caver with the Denton County Sheriff’s Office told the Record-Chronicle that no staff members were fired as a result of the woman’s death and that the investigation by the Texas Rangers remains ongoing.
Caver told the Record-Chronicle that the facility was waiting on the city and fire marshal for its final inspection, adding that since he’s been the jail administrator, this was the first time the jail was found non-compliant under his leadership in the past five and a half years.
“We’ve made all of the repairs and necessary items that were addressed,” Caver said Tuesday. “Then the jail commission will come back out after that’s been done to reinspect to make sure all of that has been done appropriately.”
He said the jail is expected to be back in compliance soon.
