Review of El Paso Jail Annex inmate check policy found deficiencies following inmate’s death

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- A new review by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards found that inmate checks were not preformed properly in the hours after Jesus Torres was murdered in the El Paso Jail Annex in November 2023.

"It was determined that although the inmate checks were done in the required time frames, they were not completed in the manner required by agency policy and TCJS rules," the El Paso County Sheriff's Office Internal Affairs Unit found.

Officials say disciplinary measures were pending against an employee, but that employee resigned January 16, 2024. TCJS also issued a notice of "non-compliance" on January 22, 2024.

The Sheriff's Office is now trying to strengthen its inmate check policies and hopes to have the "non-compliance" status removed soon.