HCSO: County Jail to remain on ‘non-compliance’ list by Texas Prison Standards Commission after review

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas. After a week-long review by the Texas Prison Standards Commission, the Harris County Jail will remain on a list of 13 state prisons that do not comply, the sheriff’s office said Friday.

The Harris County Sheriff’s Office said the inspection covered 24 areas of review, including admissions and releases, medical services, supervision, discipline, exercise, education, grocery shopping and visits.

The lack of personnel has proved to be a serious problem in the prison, with 150 vacancies for guards and 100 vacancies for prison deputies not being filled. These vacancies coincide with the highest incarceration in more than a decade, according to the HCSO.

The sheriff’s office said the average person in jail spends more than 200 days behind bars, compared to the national average of about 30 days, although nearly 1,000 defendants have been transferred to prisons in other areas.

Another area in which the prison kept up was to conduct visual checks on prisoners within a set time frame. The inspectors also said that people placed in jail are waiting too long to be given a cell.

There were also two cases where inspectors determined that prescribed medicines were not delivered on time.

However, the inspectors noted a number of improvements. They said cleanliness had improved and people were generally more positive.

The commission is expected to release its full report in the coming days.

On Friday, the HCSO said it would prepare a “corrective action plan” within 30 days.

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