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Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths
Loaded on April 1, 2026
by Matthew Clarke
published in Prison Legal News
April, 2026, page 24
Filed under:
Jail Misconduct,
Systemic Medical Neglect,
Medical Neglect/Malpractice,
Statutory Construction/Interpretation,
Authority and Jurisdiction.
Location:
Texas.
by Matt Clarke
On February 12, 2026, Texas Attorney General (TAG) Ken Paxton issued an opinion clarifying the scope of a statute requiring the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) to appoint an outside agency to investigate the death of a prisoner in a county jail, § 511.021(a), …
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More from this issue:
- Alabama’s Non-Solution to the Crisis Overtaking Its Prisons, by Douglas Ankney
- From the Editor, by Paul Wright
- Colorado Governor Tells Lawmakers to Open New Prison
- $667,000 Awarded to Muslim Missouri Prisoners Pepper-Sprayed for Praying, by Chuck Sharman
- Virginia Jail Suicide Results in $950,000 Settlement, Claims Against Wellpath still Pending, by Chuck Sharman
- Former Maine Prison Official Stole $2.4 Million Through Fraudulent Supply Orders
- The Cells Inside ‘One of the Most Archaic Prisons in the United States’, by Shakeil Price
- Massachusetts Settles Lawsuit with Promise to Release Jail Voting Data, by Chuck Sharman
- In Texas, Harris County Commissioners Approve $1.2 Million for Fourth Study of Jail Since 2020 After Dozens of Abuse Allegations, by Matthew Clarke
- “Large Fight” Broke Out at Alaska Prison After Downsizing Effort, by Jo Ellen Knott
- $1 Million Paid by Cuyahoga County for Detainee’s Preventable Suicide in Cleveland Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- Class Certification Granted to Suit Challenging Suspension of HALT Act in New York Prisons, by Chuck Sharman
- More Measles Cases Detected at Jails in New Mexico and Texas, by Jo Ellen Knott
- ICE Jails Denied Muslim Detainees’ Right to Celebrate Ramadan
- California Spends $300 Million Each Year Incarcerating Senior Citizens in Women’s Prisons, by Victoria Law
- Idaho Struggles to Respond to Devasting Report of Widespread Prisoner Sex Abuse, by Chuck Sharman
- Houston Jail Renews $38 Million Contract to Outsource Detainees to Private Lockups
- $2.75 Million Paid by Washington County and NaphCare for Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by Chuck Sharman
- Ohio Supreme Court Awards Prisoner $1,000 for Denied Records Request, by Chuck Sharman
- Texas Attorney General Clarifies Scope of Statute Requiring Outside Agency Investigation of Jail Deaths, by Matthew Clarke
- $1.5 Million Class-Action Settlement Reached in Texas Jail Over-Detention Case, by Chuck Sharman
- Missouri Prisons Called Out for Incomplete Death Records, Hellish Solitary Heat, by Chuck Sharman
- D.C. Judge Blocks Transfer of Biden-Commuted Federal Death Row Prisoners to “Supermax,” Citing Lack of Meaningful Due Process, by Matthew Clarke
- Oklahoma County Officials Move to Dissolve Jail Trust Created for Oversight
- Eighth Circuit Revives Lawsuit Over Iowa Jail Detainee’s Suicide, by Matthew Clarke
- Almost $1 Million in Settlements Paid to Three Nevada Prisoners, by Chuck Sharman
- Two Texas Women Charged for Using Plastic Crows in Smuggling Scheme
- Fourth Circuit to BOP Prisoner: Any “Disqualifying Offense” Means Zero FSA Credits, by Chuck Sharman
- California County Hires New Healthcare Company After Jail Deaths Under Wellpath
- New Illinois State Law Requires Prisons to Submit Annual Hospice Reports, by Michael Thompson
- At This Prison, Staffing Fluctuations Land Hardest on Lifers, by Jeffrey Shockley
- Internal Assessment Contradicts Public Claims About Women’s Prisons, by Michael Thompson
- Five Prisoners in Georgia Injured in Fight, Two Months After Three Prisoners Were Killed
- Groundbreaking Statistical Study of Pregnant Texas Jail Detainees Finds Over 400 Monthly, by Matthew Clarke
- Hawai’i Settles Prison Mental Healthcare Class-Action With $100,000 in Attorney’s Fees and Expert Inspection That Produces Damning Report, by Chuck Sharman
- Montana Switches to Sending Prisoners to a Private Prison in Mississippi
- Faults Found with Centurion in Kansas Four Years Ago Are Still Not Fixed, by Michael Thompson
- Death of Washington Jail Standards Bill Risks Repeat of $2.5 Million Settlement That Closed One County’s Jail, by Chuck Sharman
- $950,000 Settlement Reached for Pennsylvania Jail Detainee Repeatedly Pepper-Sprayed During Mental Health Episodes, by Chuck Sharman
- Unsafe Drinking Water at Multiple Texas Prisons Highlights Lack of Transparency, by Matthew Clarke
- First Circuit Revives Federal Prisoner’s Claim Against Rhode Island Lockup, by Chuck Sharman
- The Same Company that Built Guantanamo Bay Is Building Kansas City’s World Cup Jail
- $10.3 Million Paid for Teen’s Death at Kansas Juvenile Detention Facility, by Chuck Sharman
- ICE Settles Suit Over Opening Detainees’ Legal Mail, by Chuck Sharman
- Survey of Arkansas Jails Reveals Strained, Costly Health Care System, by Abbey Kim
- Federal Jury Awards $1,670,000 for Diabetic Detainee’s Preventable Death in Philadelphia Jail, YesCare Reaches Separate Confidential Settlement, by Chuck Sharman
- Mississippi DOC Retains Law Firm to Monitor VitalCore Contract, by Michael Thompson
- Idaho DOC Transfers Prisoners to Arizona Facility Run by CoreCivic
- Digital Tablet Shift Brings Added Cost, Lost Data to Prisoners in California
- Wisconsin’s Incarcerated Population Has More Access to Opioid Treatment, But Still Missing in Eight County Jails
- ICE Taps New Contractor to Run Deadly Detention Center in Texas
- More Than 40k 311 Calls From Rikers Go Into a Black Hole Every Year, by Reuven Blau, Kennedy Sessions
- Prisoners in Oklahoma Can Now Buy Vapes, Pouches from Commissary
- Watchdog Report Finds More than 1,500 Waiting for Specialty Care at Connecticut Prisons
- Tulsa Jail Withholds Records Related to Detainee Deaths
- Analysts Recommend Closing California’s Soledad Prison
- Judge Orders Rikers Manager Must Fix Jail in Seven Years Or Less
- News in Brief
- Private Company Investigating Rapes at California ICE Detention Center Instead of Sheriff
- Officials in Kansas Allow CoreCivic to Reopen Leavenworth Prison
More from Matthew Clarke:
- Seventh Circuit Grants Qualified Immunity to Detectives Who Revealed Prisoner Was Informant, Denies Him Anonymity, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026
- New Mexico Supreme Court Holds Corrections Department Regulations Do Not Exempt Use-Of-Force Documents from Public Records Disclosure, Aug. 1, 2026
- DOJ Issues Memorandum Over BOP Employees Abusing Their Law Enforcement Credentials to Illegally Purchase Personal Firearms, Aug. 1, 2026
- Seventh Circuit Upholds Summary Judgment Against Former Illinois Prison Guards Challenging Termination for Violating Use of Force Policy, Aug. 1, 2026
- Federal Court Issues Preliminary Injunction Barring Enforcement of Executive Order to Transfer Trans Women Prisoners to Men’s Prisons, Aug. 1, 2026
- Idaho Supreme Court Holds Indigent Parents Have Constitutional Right to Counsel at Public Expense, July 1, 2026
- Free Phone Calls Saved Prisoners and Their Families More than $600 Million, Report Finds, July 1, 2026
- California Appeals Court Holds Defendant Cannot Be Penalized for Failing to Appear at Sentencing When He Was Being Held in Another County’s Jail on Preexisting Charges, July 1, 2026
- SCOTUS Reverses Mississippi Capital Conviction, July 1, 2026
More from these topics:
- $4.5 Million Paid by Cook County for Detainee Suicide in Chicago Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Suicides, Administrative Detention/Segregation, Deliberate Indifference.
- Three Detainees Die in Four Days at the Tarrant County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Statistics/Trends, Wrongful Death, Compassionate Release.
- Death of Seattle Detainee—Jailed Despite Not Being “Grounded in Reality”—Costs King County $3.5 Million Settlement, Aug. 1, 2026. Restraints, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Excessive Force (Wrongful Death), Failure to Treat (Mental Illness), Monell Liability.
- $10.19 Million Paid for Retired California Prison Guard’s Death in Colorado Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Stun Guns/Tasers, Failure to Train/Supervise, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- $3.25 Million Paid by Georgia After Prisoner Bakes to Death in Outdoor Recreation Cage, Aug. 1, 2026. Failure to Treat, Exposure to Heat, Settlements, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- $100,000 Paid to New York Detainee Whose Infant Died in Syracuse Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Naphcare, OB/GYN, Failure to Treat, Medical Neglect/Malpractice, Deliberate Indifference.
- Report Shows Pattern of Sexual Assaults in Santa Clara County Jail, Aug. 1, 2026. Staff-Prisoner Assault, Guard Misconduct, Jail Misconduct, Corrections Audits, Failure to Protect (General).
- $30,000 Settlement Reached in Virginia Jail Death That Put Richmond Lockup Under State Oversight, Aug. 1, 2026. Jail Misconduct, Failure to Protect (General), Staffing, 42 U.S. Code § 1983, civil action for deprivation of rights, Monell Liability.
- Seventh Circuit Holds Federal Law Prohibits County Jail from Forcing Immigration Detainees to Perform Custodial Labor by Threatening Solitary Confinement, Aug. 1, 2026. Prison Labor, Control Units/SHU/Solitary Confinement, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Immigration Detention, Monell Liability.
- New Mexico Supreme Court Holds Corrections Department Regulations Do Not Exempt Use-Of-Force Documents from Public Records Disclosure, Aug. 1, 2026. Disclosure of Records, Public Records, Public Records Act, Statutory Construction/Interpretation, Authority and Jurisdiction.