Every county jail in Texas is subject to the oversight and expectations set forth by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
In the Lone Star state, county jails are multipurpose facilities with diverse inmate populations. Detainees at a county jail are a mix of those awaiting trial, in work-release programs, or serving short sentences among other reasons.
Typically, the county sheriff or a dedicated jail administration staff is in charge of running the facility in a manner that meets state standards. Four state inspectors make annual unannounced visits to facilities. If the jail is found to be non-compliant the report is published on the TSJS website.
Non-Compliant Jail Statistics
Per the Texas Prison Project, there are 13 active non-compliant jail reports for 12 counties as of October 2024. The county jails with the most notable issues are Liberty county, Falls county, and Leon county.
Liberty County Jail
- Liberty County Jail has been on the non-compliance list the longest, since August 1, 2023
- Liberty County Jail is the only facility currently on the non-compliance list twice. The second report is dated January 3, 2024
- There are reports of non-compliance filed for Liberty County Jail nearly every year since 2019.
Falls County
- Falls county jail was reported as non-compliant on March 4, 2024.
- This report listed 14 serious issues found at the facility that have yet to be resolved.
- Most recently, a September 19 news article from KXXV contains reports of “brown water” given to inmates at the jail. An inmate’s wife claimed that jail staff were aware of the “bad water” and would not provide water safe to drink, or bottled water.
- There are 11 previous non-compliance reports for Falls county jail
Leon County
- Leon county has been out of compliance the third-longest. The report was made April 12, 2024
- Inspectors found that Leon county jail had exceeded maximum occupancy a total of 14 times in a span of three months.
PROBLEMATIC POKEYS: These 12 County Jails in Texas Are Not Up To Standard
The counties listed below have been found in non-compliance with Texas Minimum Jail Standards as codified in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 37, Part 9. They can be viewed in their entirety at State Commission on Jail Standards website…