During a recent inspection, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) found Bexar County Jail in violation of a state law requiring inmates to have daily access to common areas, known as “dayrooms,” along with other infractions.
A letter sent Tuesday to Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar and Judge Peter Sakai and obtained by the Current gives jail officials 30 days to create a plan of action to meet state standards.
It’s the second time this year TCJS has found the jail in violation.
Inspectors visited the Bexar County Jail this month after an inmate committed suicide on July 15 –– the eighth death at the holding facility this year.
In a statement to TV station KSAT, Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar said his department has “already taken our first of several steps” to fix violations pointed out by TCJS officials.
“We look forward to continuing to work with TCJS until it is completed,” she sheriff added.
During the July inspection, TCJS officials discovered that documents, selected at random, failed to provide evidence that inmate Patrick Washington received access to the jail’s dayroom for 22 of the 97 days he was held in the facility. Under TCJS code, inmates housed in multi-person cells are entitled to daily access to common area.
Documents reviewed by the TCJS also showed that 56 other inmates were denied access to the common area during the first week of June.
Inspectors also discovered other infractions including mirrors in a cell that were too scratched up for a person to see their reflection and a “purge fan” used to remove smoke during a fire that wasn’t working. However, the jail’s maintenance crew replaced the fan’s motor during the inspection.
The inspection report comes as the rate of deaths at the Bexar County jail has exceeded last year’s. In 2024, 13 people inmates at the lockup died while in custody, according to the Texas Attorney General’s Custodial Death Report database.
Of those deaths, three were ruled suicides and two were caused by complications from substance abuse, according to jail officials.
Two other deaths were the result of assaults, one of which was allegedly orchestrated by a sheriff’s deputy.
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This article appears in Jul 23 – Aug 6, 2025.
