Texas Prison Bid'ness

The Texas Jail Project is holding an event tonight at Jovita's in Austin, TX. According to the Austin Chronicle, TJP organizers hope these types of events, not direct lobbying of legislators, will lead to substantive changes in jail conditions.

TJP's work contributes significantly to ensuring that jail detainees are confined in humane and safe facilities through out the state. Texas has 254 counties and 268 jail facilities with a combined rated capacity of over 84,000 beds. The state legislature mandated the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) to oversee county jails.

However, the level of independent oversight in Texas continues to be in short supply as detainees cycle in and out of jails on a regular basis and are often exposed to inadequate living conditions. This week the Harris County Jail was quarantined due to an unknown infectious disease that posed risks not only to prisoners but staff.

According to TCJS, 19 county jails are privately managed and 13,270 detainees were confined in private jails on August 1st.

In the Chronicle article, Texas Jail Project organizers mention the inability of TCJS as an agency to hold sheriffs and county officials accountable for poor living conditions. That is a function of the statute that created the agency -- it only gives TCJS the authority to levy administrative penalties against county jails that are in noncompliance with state administrative standards.

We have previously written about why additional mechanisms are needed to improve the conditions of confinement in these facilities:

1. Legislature Fails to Improve Oversight of County Jails
2. Improved Oversight Needed for Private Jails
3. Tightening Oversight of Texas' County Jails