What they're saying
Harris County Sheriff Ed Gonzalez said in a news release how proud he is of the corrective action plan that was implemented to improve areas of the jail facilities.
"I'm thankful for our hard-working teammates who serve in our jails regularly, and I appreciate their commitment to the increased care and supervision of those who live in our jail," Gonzalez said.
In June, Harris County commissioners approved an estimated $122 million to address some immediate needs throughout various Harris County jail facilities, including safety and security measures as well as deferred maintenance items such as fire safety; plumbing; electrical; and heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems.
The setup
The inspection included 24 areas of review including the admission and release process, health services, supervision, discipline, exercise and education. Harris County jail officials told Community Impact in an email the state commission noted improvements in medical services, atmosphere, climate and cleanliness over the last year.
"This news is a credit to our sheriff’s office detention command and our dedicated teammates who perform their duties with pride and true professionalism. While earning a passing mark from the state is an important achievement, it has never been our ultimate goal. What matters more is knowing that we are doing everything in our power to make the jail safe and secure for the thousands of people in our custody and for everyone who works within the jail’s walls," sheriff's office officials said in an emailed statement.
Digging deeper
As of Sept. 3, the Harris County jail population stands at 9,412, which combines the inmates at county facilities—8,161—and those being outsourced to facilities outside the county and state—1,251. While the Harris County Sheriff's Office oversees four different facilities in downtown Houston, two jail facilities are being outsourced in Louisiana and Mississippi, where TCJS officials noted a difference in minimum jail oversight.
TCJS Assistant Director Ricky Armstrong provided an update at a May commission meeting on his research comparing the Texas minimum jail standards to that of states where Texas counties house inmates.
Armstrong found in Louisiana:
- Minimum jail standards exist for the construction and design of jails, but facility operation standards are not as detailed.
- No regulatory agency exists to enforce standards.
- Staffing ratios are higher than the 1 officer per 48 inmates in Texas. Louisiana stands at 1 officer per 178 inmates.
- Minimal jail standards exist with very little detail.
- No jail inspection process exists.
- No jail standards are actively enforced.
- Some facilities are accredited by a voluntary accreditation process including the American Correctional Association.
TCJS Executive Director Brandon Wood said solving the out-of-state jail facility standards has been attempted in the past. At the conclusion of the discussion, commissioners requested TCJS seek advice from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
At least two family members spoke at the May meeting on behalf of their deceased family members who were under the Harris County jail system, including Jocelyn Griffin, who said her son died in a Harris County jail. Sarah Night was the mother of an inmate who died while outsourced to the LaSalle Correctional Facility in Louisiana.
The action taken
Harris County jail officials said this is the second year in a row where they're seeing a decline in the jail's mortality rate.
"There is plenty of evidence showing we’ve achieved great strides toward meeting this higher standard. ... We’ve also seen an uptick in our detention officer retention rate, which is a sign that work conditions are improving," sheriff's office officials said via email.
Jason Spencer, the chief of staff from the sheriff's office, told Community Impact in March the primary reason jails have struggled to be in compliance with the state's jail standards was the lack of staffing and detention officers.
Jail commissioners discussed during the May TCJS meeting how Harris County had a 31% higher retention rate in the last six months after providing substantial pay increases for officers. Harris County jail officials hired 108 new officers leading up to May and still had at least 190 open positions, according to a May meeting document.
Harris County Jail Administrator Phillip Bosquez told the commission in May he does not expect to meet the staffing ratio of 1 officer per 48 inmates until the jail is fully staffed. Wood recommended removing variance beds—short-term beds granted by the state—to limit the population and inmate capacity, a motion that passed unanimously.
Zooming out
Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo told Community Impact the basic requirements were met for the county's jails, but she believes it's not something to celebrate.
"I don't want to minimize the work that went into that, but I also don't want to sit on our laurels and say the work is done or even halfway there. We need to severely reduce the jail population. There are many people that have been there far too long. People that need to be in other kinds of programs and really keep the violent offenders in there. Of course, we need to continue to improve systems for the safety of our detention officers and efficiency for the victims," Hidalgo said.
