Coastal Bend Detention Center Inmate "Escapes", Unknown for 3 Weeks

Tue, 12/15/2009 - 10:48am — Andrew

The LCS Corrections-operated Coastal Bend Detention Center in Robstown, TX has been in the public eye recently. After initially failing their first jail standards inspection, the facility, equipped with a brand new Warden, passed their second inspection with the commendation of Adan Muñoz, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards director. However, the CBDC is not out of the woods yet.

Jamie Powell at the Corpus Christi Caller Times first reported on the problem of an inmate who "escaped" from the facility ("Robstown prison discovers three weeks later that prisoner is missing," The Caller Times, December 11, 2009). The inmate escaped on November 19th, unknown to the facility until December 10th. To make matters worse, the inmate didn't dig a hole and crawl to freedom like in the movies, rather, the facility willingly released him because they confused his identity. The facility failed to return Ms. Powell's telephone calls, as well as my own personal attempts via telephone and email.

The escape of this prisoner is interesting because one of the reasons that CBDC failed their initial inspection was because they failed to perform the required face to face check-ins with each inmate. Additionally, the facility also failed to correctly classify the inmates. These two reasons combined are a recipe for incidents like this where an inmate walked out the door because of poor organization and classification, and why it took so long for the facility to realize what had happened.

Where once Muñoz was impressed with the facility's turnaround after failing the inspection, he now appears disappointed withthe facility:

It doesn’t appear that Estrada Martinez escaped on purpose, said Adan Muñoz, the jail commission’s executive director, after reviewing LCS’s preliminary escape report. He was released.
“What transpired between the wrongly released inmate and the releasing officer is something that LCS will have to investigate,” Muñoz said. “There is no overt action shown by the mistakenly released inmate to indicate he made any statements to the releasing officer that he was attempting to disguise who he was while being released.
“And why the receiving transport service did not verify the inmate’s identity is also something that needs to be ascertained and investigated,” Muñoz said.
LCS contacted the jail commission within 24 hours of the discovery, which is required by law. The company must submit a written report detailing why and how the escape happened, Muñoz said.
The release counts as an escape and could pose problems for the prison, Muñoz said. ("Robstown prison discovers three weeks later that prisoner is missing," The Caller Times, December 11, 2009)

Questions still remain: why would a facility, shortly after passing an inspection with Texas jail standards, let this seriously negligent event happen? Are the guards falling back into their old routines prior to their inspection? What is happening within LCS Corrections to prevent this sort of release/breakout from happening again?

LCS Corrections calls the Coastal Bend Detention Center their "flagship" facility. If CBDC is their flagship, and inmates are walking out without disguising their identity or breaking through a wall, I am surprised the rest of their "fleet" is even able to stay afloat.

Comments

Wed, 12/16/2009 - 3:44pm — Anonymous (not verified)

Coastalbend detention center

My spouse works at the Coastalbend Detention and each and everyday i have to hear what an poorly run unit it is!!!!!!!!!!! The article by the Caller Times 12/11/2009 is nothing new just something that was reported for each and every week it seems this unit makes mistakes mainly swept under the rug. My love one has left this embarassment of an correctional facility but yet others remain... vetrans in corrections who aren't given the chance to promaote or to share their correctional experience due to the "good ole boy" system there which the upper mid-management suppor.

Warden Bravo, Deputy Warden Sanchez, and Cheif Andrade all need to be fired for they are the one's responsible yet they will never admit it they will just try to "roll" someone else like they did with the former warden. the jail commisiion really need to terminate their commission their for officers are poorly trained, current supervisors aren't certified by the jail commision...it's truely the blind leading the blind and worst yet the current administration doesn't care what so ever. So I say for the sake of public safety close this dangerous detention center before the next incident cost someone their life

Wed, 12/16/2009 - 4:00pm — Anonymous (not verified)

Coastal Bend Detention Center

will the texas jail commision please investigate correctional officers being sent to hospital duty not fire arms certified, officers playing "quick draw" with their weapons, officers leaving their assigned duty posts while leaving their assigned weapons on the desk assessible to inmates, and officers falling asleep on their assinged duty post (all documented by video camera and pictures by hospital security) yet the same upper mid-management is still there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Have the US Marshalls and county jails who housed their imates there investigate and you will see all has happened!!!!!!!!!!

Please take action

Tue, 02/23/2010 - 9:33pm — Margarette Bacong (not verified)

Please Take Action

This is very alarming and this needs immediate attention and action. This might lead to a very disturbing and dangerous situation to anyone that will be in the situation because of the bad implication it can cause to the people expecially in Texas. This might take judicial action immediately! Things like this must be handled first and the action must be direct. No one should be leaving this issue without doing anything! The proper authorities should do something right now because this is not just a issue that should be done in any other time. There are many things that will be at risk and things that are already at risk so they must go and solve this alarming issue right now..

Fri, 08/06/2010 - 11:35pm — Anonymous (not verified)

sounds like they have serious

sounds like they have serious problems over their...

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