Media spotlight week 6/16/25
June 24, 2025
KERA News: State audit finds major lapses in Texas jail oversight system This month, the State Auditor's Office published an Audit Report on Complaint, Inspection, and Enforcement Processes at the…
Topics: 2025news, Custody Death, TCJS
KERA News: State audit finds major lapses in Texas jail oversight system
This month, the State Auditor’s Office published an Audit Report on Complaint, Inspection, and Enforcement Processes at the Commission on Jail Standards. The report outlines various ways the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) fell short of its obligations to “provid[e] safe, secure, and suitable local jail facilities.”
The report found that TCJS frequently fails to investigate complaints from people in jail. The agency regularly fails to contact the jails and to assign investigators to the cases. Many cases remain open for more than two years. Routine inspections do not occur at the appropriate frequency. TCJS does not have accurate data on complaints.
TCJS indicated to KERA News that it would implement fixes by August 1.
“It’s both validating and alarming to see the inefficiencies noted in the Commission’s complaints process,” Gundu said. “We are deeply concerned about the impact these inefficiencies have had on jails that probably deserved to be issued non-compliances but were not.”