Non-Compliant Jail Reports
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has four inspectors who are required to conduct at least a yearly inspection of the 241 county jails in our state to ensure that they are in compliance with the Texas Minimum Jail Standards as codified in the Texas Administrative Code, Title 37, Part 9. When jails are found to be out of compliance, the commission files a report which is used as the basis for inquiry at the quarterly hearings–attended by the Sheriffs–of the TCJS on the State Capitol.
These reports are also available on the TCJS website but only for a short time. Once they’re taken off, it takes an expensive FOIA request to acquire them. We are working on getting as many of these reports as possible. Our hope is to track the jails that are repeat offenders and find a pattern of neglect, abuse and/ deaths in custody.
| Resolved | Date | County | Notes | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active | 12/18/2020 | Marion County |
|
view |
| Active | 01/05/2021 | Hudspeth County |
|
view |
| Active | 01/06/2021 | Presidio County | Inspector could not verify that inmates were provided at least 24 hours written notice before signing the inmate waiver or sanctions were administered for claimed ... read more | view |
| Active | 12/16/2020 | Harrison County |
|
view |
| Active | 12/04/2020 | Harris County | Failed to perform observation checks of 60 minutes for the general population and 30 for potentially suicidal ... read more | view |
| Active | 12/16/2020 | Uvalde County |
|
view |
| Resolved | 10/13/2020 | Walker County | Restraint chair violations - exceeding 15 minute observation ... read more | view |
| Active | 12/11/2020 | Willacy County |
|
view |
| Active | 12/16/2020 | Brazoria County (Special) |
|
view |
| Active | 11/18/2020 | Bowie (P) County |
Privatized jail run by La Salle continues to have issues with jailer trainings leading to other issues with inmate care.
|
view |
| Active | 12/08/2020 | Falls County (Special) | Long history of violations with Falls county starting from severe overcrowding of transport prisoners back in 2018 which TJP reported to TCJS thanks to a whistleblower. Falls county leadership was ... read more | view |
| Active | 11/19/2020 | Cass County | Several safety violations including fire alarms, generators and lack of classification training for jailers. But the violations that caught our eye are restraint chair observation times being ... read more | view |
| Active | 11/25/2020 | Swisher County |
|
view |
| Active | 11/23/2020 | Castro County |
|
view |
| Resolved | 11/20/2020 | Hopkins County (Special) | Inmates were being held in holding cells for more than 48 hours which is against the regulations. *16 inmates in a cell with a capacity of 10 *21 of 25 inmates had been in a holding cell in ... read more | view |
| Active | 11/09/2020 | Montague County | Detention officers, not supervisory or medical are making the decision to restrain in the emergency restraint chair. Restraint chair logs indicate that observation checks are being ... read more | view |
| Active | 10/15/2020 | Cherokee County | Overuse of solitary. Classification errors. Maintenance issues. Recreation not ... read more | view |
| Active | 10/20/2020 | Gray County | Restraint chair observations exceeded by 15 minutes minimum standard. Staff not receiving mandated ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/21/2020 | Freestone County Re-Inspect | Incomplete mental health screening forms. Lack of ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 09/25/2020 | Dickens County | No documentation to prove that jailers had received life safety ... read more | view |
| Active | 10/05/2020 | Delta County | No supporting documentation that life safety training was ... read more | view |
| Active | 10/07/2020 | Red River County | Issues with magistrate notification in mental health screening ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/14/2020 | San Jacinto County | No recreation and unsupervised food ... read more | view |
| Active | Walker County | Violations included misuse of restraint chair and exceeding observation time while someone was confined in the restraint ... read more | view | |
| Resolved | 09/24/2020 | Dallam-Hartley County | Not all staff were trained in life safety and emergency procedures for the fourth quarter of FY 2019 as ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 09/29/2020 | Crosby County | Suicide training was last conducted in November 2018. The Mental Health Operational Plan states staff will receive 4 hours of suicide training ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 09/25/2020 | Starr County | Face-to-face observations were not conducted within 15 minutes as ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 08/18/2020 | Williamson County (Special) |
Williamson County Sheriff Robert Chody indicted in Javier Ambler ... read more |
view |
| Active | 09/10/2020 | Crockett County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/23/2020 | Sherman County | Jail staff are not conducting 30 minute face-to-face observations of inmates on a regular ... read more | view |
| Active | 09/09/2020 | Terrell County | view | |
| Active | 07/21/2020 | Midland County (Re-inspection) | This inspection does not say anything about the medical care issues at this jail but here's a newsstory from August ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 06/02/2020 | Coryell County | Continuity of care was broken when physician prescribed medications were not reviewed and ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/28/2020 | Angelina County | Exceeded 15 minute observation of inmates in restraints. Exceeded the mandated 60 minute visual face-to-face observations anywhere from 1 to 249 ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/18/2020 | Zavala County | "The approved Suicide Prevention Plan states that jailers will be provided 80 hours of training on suicide prevention. The administration has never provided ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/11/2020 | Haskell (P) | "...Continuity of Care (CCQ) reports needed to complete the mental disabilities/suicide prevention screening instrument are not being generated timely enough to properly assess each inmate entering ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/08/2020 | Freestone County |
Highlights:
|
view |
| Active | 05/11/2020 | Falls County | This is the same county that was found non-compliant last year for intentionally overcrowding their jail with contract inmates and transport prisoners. That inspection led them to lose their ... read more | view |
| Active | 05/22/2020 | Liberty County (P) Geo |
Highlights:
|
view |
| Resolved | 05/20/2020 | Maverick County | view | |
| Resolved | 05/21/2020 | Menard County | The Suicide Screening Form was not completed on the inmate who committed suicide by hanging on May 16, 2020. Shockingly, no news can be found during a basic Google ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/14/2020 | Smith County | There has been a confirmed Covid-19 death in this facility and TJP has received multiple complaints from individuals in the jail and family members on a wide range of issues such as medical neglect, ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/06/2020 | Matagorda | Reassessments were not conducted within 30-90 days as required by minimum jail standards thus affecting classifcations. The administration was unable to provide training rosters or training ... read more | view |
| Active | 05/04/2020 | Shelby County | Screening form for Suicide and Medical/Mental/Developmental Impairments is not being properly filled out by jail staff and also notifications are being made as ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/29/2020 | Zavala (Special) | This inspector investigated two separate escapes within 9 days in March 2020. In the first she found, " gates were left unsecured allowing an inmate to literally walk out of the jail." In the second, ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/08/2020 | Johnson (P) (Special) | view | |
| Resolved | 04/08/2020 | Jefferson (Special) | Years after Sandra Bland, some jails continue to fail mandated safeguards. This inspection reveals that Jefferson County failed the 30 minute welfare checks. The jail's negligence resulted in another ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/08/2020 | Johnson (P) (Special) | view | |
| Resolved | 04/23/2020 | Matagorda (Special) | view | |
| Resolved | 02/05/2020 | Willacy County Special | This is one of the most common and life threatening violations. Mandatory face to face observations every 30 minutes of persons with mental illness on suicide ... read more | view |
| Active | 02/12/2020 | Midland County | view | |
| Resolved | 01/06/2020 | Hunt County | view | |
| Resolved | 01/22/2020 | Maverick County (P) Geo Re-inspection | The Inspector could not verify that prisoners have been reassessed or reclassified since March of ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 12/31/2019 | Gregg County Special | Lack of face to face observations led to the opportunity for an inmate to escape. Reports indicate that all but four of 29 employees at Gregg County’s South Jail were disciplined after a ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 01/14/2020 | Victoria County | When a reporter called the jail around 2/14/2020, to inquire about the latest violations, she was told by jail administrators that it's just a paperwork issue. Not administering medications as per ... read more | view |
| Active | 01/23/2020 | Bosque County | view | |
| Resolved | 01/09/2020 | Grayson County | An 85-year-old inmate was found unresponsive at the Grayson County Jail. He is believed to have died of natural causes, according to preliminary findings. He was found alone and unresponsive in his ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 01/09/2020 | Fannin (P) LaSalle | Texas' most repeated violator, LaSalle Corrections, found to be non-compliant again. Despite these violations, some of which have been fatal, this private jail continues to find ways to contract with ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 01/14/2020 | Jasper County | view | |
| Resolved | 01/13/2020 | San Augustine County | view | |
| Resolved | 07/24/2019 | Red River County Special | view | |
| Resolved | 09/26/2018 | Red River County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/17/2019 | Red River County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/03/2018 | Reeves County | view | |
| Resolved | 06/13/2017 | San Patricio County Special | A death in custody that could have been prevented by compliance with the Jail Commission's rules. The report notes, "During the review of a death in custody, it was determined that the magistrate ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/23/2017 | Wilson County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/18/2018 | San Saba County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/04/2018 | Swisher County | view | |
| Resolved | 06/19/2019 | Shackelford County | view | |
| Resolved | 01/03/2019 | Shelby County | Lack of oversight and violations of face-to-face observations may have lead to an inmate's illegal activity with a minor. The inmate in question had 2 cell phones and meth! Who's in charge ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/18/2018 | Starr County Special | view | |
| Resolved | 12/03/2018 | Sutton County | view | |
| Resolved | 05/04/2017 | Sutton County | ||
| Resolved | 12/02/2019 | Harrison County | view | |
| Resolved | 12/03/2019 | Hudspeth County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/14/2019 | Taylor County Special | view | |
| Resolved | 03/18/2019 | Terry County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/16/2018 | Tyler County Reinspection | view | |
| Resolved | 12/20/2018 | Tyler County Reinspection Failed | This county was out of compliance 2 months earlier with 16.22, CCQ checks, and other mental health-related standards. Even after notice of another inspection upcoming, this jail still failed that ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/18/2018 | Tyler County | view | |
| Resolved | 11/22/2017 | Tyler County Special | A forty-one-year-old female of Ivanhoe, Texas, died while a prisoner in the Tyler County Jail in Woodville, Texas. According to a press release from the Tyler County Sheriff’s Office, she was ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/09/2019 | Duval County | view | |
| Resolved | 08/22/2018 | Wilson County Special | view | |
| Resolved | 10/17/2019 | Bowie (P) County Annual | view | |
| Resolved | 05/08/2019 | Bexar County (Special) | view | |
| Resolved | 08/07/2019 | Bowie (P) County Special | view | |
| Resolved | 10/15/2019 | Bowie (P) County Special#2 | WFAA Report 12/18/2019 and read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/22/2019 | Hill County Special | KWTX Channel 10 news reports, "[t]he inmate had attempted suicide ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/15/2019 | Kleberg County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/09/2019 | Clay County Special | According to one Texas law firm representing people across the state for police and jailer misconduct injury cases, face-to-face observation checks of a man found dead in the jail had not been made ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 03/07/2018 | Crosby County Special | view | |
| Resolved | 06/29/2018 | Crosby County Reinspect | view | |
| Resolved | 02/14/2018 | Bosque County | view | |
| Resolved | 12/03/2018 | Bowie (P) County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/09/2018 | Comanche County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/24/2018 | Hardin County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/16/2018 | Hill County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/18/2018 | Hunt County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/15/2018 | Jasper County Reinspect | view | |
| Resolved | 11/17/2017 | Goliad County | view | |
| Resolved | 08/23/2018 | Harris County Special | A Harris County inmate locked up on a pair of misdemeanor charges died after hanging herself inside a jail cell, marking this jail's fifth apparent suicide in less than a two-year span. Read the full ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 09/03/2019 | Anderson County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/09/2017 | Angelina County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/17/2018 | Brewster County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/18/2017 | Brooks County | view | |
| Resolved | 11/15/2018 | Calhoun County | view | |
| Resolved | 05/07/2019 | Camp County | view | |
| Resolved | 11/14/2017 | Cass County | view | |
| Resolved | 06/03/2019 | Coleman County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/19/2017 | Collingsworth County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/10/2019 | Cottle County | view | |
| Resolved | 12/14/2018 | Crockett County | view | |
| Resolved | 12/05/2017 | Culberson County (Special) | view | |
| Resolved | 06/04/2019 | Dawson County | view | |
| Resolved | 07/10/2017 | Duval | view | |
| Resolved | 10/23/2017 | Edwards County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/30/2017 | El Paso County | Attorneys representing victims of jailer and police misconduct report that two (2) jailers from the jail in El Paso, Texas, were arrested in connection with the custodial death of prisoner Roberto ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 06/06/2017 | El Paso County | After reviewing the 30 minute face-to-face observation logs for inmates in the holding and detoxification cells at the Downtown Jail, there were numerous occasions where facility personnel exceeded ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 07/12/2019 | Falls County (Special) | An inmate took pictures of himself and posted them directly to his Facebook page while in custody at the Falls County Jail. I'm not sure which is worse, the inmate for "bragging" on facebook ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 01/30/2019 | Fannin (P)(LaSalle) | view | |
| Resolved | 12/19/2018 | Fannin (P)(LaSalle) | Death in custody, LaSalle (P) under investigation. Again. Tonya Eisner of WFAA Dallas/Fort Worth has been following LaSalle and these unaccountable deaths in ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/06/2017 | Fisher County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/20/2018 | Fisher County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/16/2018 | Gray County | view | |
| Resolved | 11/26/2018 | Harris County | After a death in custody 3 months earlier, a team of 5 inspectors returned to inspect. Their only findings of non-compliance were on sanitation and food ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/01/2018 | Houston County Special | A Houston County jail Inmate escaped when he had been assigned to work in the kitchen as a trustee. On the day of escape, he literally walked off from the jail while preparing and serving ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/08/2019 | Houston County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/03/2018 | Houston County | view | |
| Resolved | 06/05/2017 | Hudspeth County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/17/2017 | Jefferson County | According to a North Texas law firm, the individual who died in custody was not included in the report. More ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 06/13/2018 | Johnson County (P) La Salle | TJP Policy Fellow, Kevin Garrett found that LaSalle had been sued for the very violations found here - medical grievances not being answered and substandard medical care. Read more on the read more | view |
| Resolved | 09/18/2018 | Karnes County (P) Geo | SUICIDE SUSPECTED in JAILED DEPUTY's Death Another private jail, Geo, failed to properly supervise and conduct face-to-face observation which contributed to this suicide. “That’s their ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 06/26/2019 | Kaufman County Special | A North Texas law firm reports that the Kaufman County Sheriff’s Department filed a custodial death report with Ken Paxton, Attorney General of Texas, regarding the death of Elmer Dale Barrett. Mr. ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/22/2019 | Kinney County | view | |
| Resolved | 11/20/2017 | Lamb County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/25/2019 | Liberty County (P) Geo Special | view | |
| Resolved | 04/23/2018 | Liberty County (P) Geo | Geo, another private jail in Texas, fails the CCP 16.22 checks as often as La Salle. Despite repeated violations for failing to properly identify individuals with mental health needs, the private ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 08/14/2018 | Limestone County (P) LaSalle Special | view | |
| Resolved | 06/19/2019 | Limestone County (P) LaSalle | view | |
| Resolved | 09/11/2017 | Limestone County (P) LaSalle | view | |
| Resolved | 10/10/2017 | Live Oak County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/06/2019 | San Jacinto County | view | |
| Resolved | 06/28/2019 | Liberty County (P) Geo Reinspect | view | |
| Resolved | 11/14/2018 | Van Zandt County | view | |
| Resolved | 11/13/2019 | Cameron County | Cameron Co. Sheriff Omar Lucio blames their latest non-compliance on "different inspectors, some with different levels of experience, as well as changing laws." There is really no excuse for ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 08/13/2018 | McLennan County (P) Jack Harwell | view | |
| Resolved | 11/13/2018 | McLennan County (P) Jack Harwell Special | view | |
| Resolved | 10/07/2019 | Madison County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/24/2019 | Maverick County (P) Geo | view | |
| Resolved | 08/08/2019 | Culberson County (Special) | view | |
| Resolved | 10/10/2019 | Milam County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/04/2019 | Nolan County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/29/2019 | Parker County | Discrepancy in Parker County News Story! The jail administrator reported that it has a contractual agreement with their LMHA. However, Krish Gundu learned from Texas' Health & Human Services ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/17/2017 | Pecos County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/14/2019 | Crockett County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/18/2019 | Dallam County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/20/2018 | Jasper County | view | |
| Resolved | 05/02/2014 | Falls County Jail | May 2nd 2014 - April 2nd 2017. Inspection reports acquired as part of a Public Information Request by Texas Jail Project. ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/23/2013 | Falls County Jail | Reports from Jan 2000-May 2013 acquired as part of a Public Information Request by ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 02/22/2018 | Falls County Jail | view | |
| Resolved | 06/19/2018 | Falls County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/22/2019 | Zavala County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/20/2019 | Washington County Special | view | |
| Resolved | 12/19/2018 | Waller County Jail | Waller County Jail keeps failing inspections but the county does nothing to fire Sheriff Glenn Smith. He should have been relieved from his position years ago when Sandra Bland died here and he tried ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 12/12/2018 | Victoria County Jail | Victoria County Jail is the reason Texas Jail Project came into being. Diane Wilson was held here for over three months in 2005-2006. 21 year old Shandra Williams gave birth alone in a solitary cell ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/03/2019 | Smith County Jail | Interesting that the inspection was conducted from the 1st to the 3rd of April 2019 and only one violation listed. Either this a great jail or...no it's not. Texas Jail Project receives many ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/12/2019 | Runnels County | view | |
| Resolved | 06/26/2018 | Robertson County | Repeated inspections. Repeated violations. And still no remediation as of May 9th ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/26/2018 | Robertson County Reinspection | view | |
| Resolved | 02/28/2019 | Robertson County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/25/2019 | Polk County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/11/2019 | McLennan - P (Jack Harwell Detention Center) | Texas Jail Project receives so many emails and phone calls about this jail which is operated by La Salle Southwest Corrections. In the 2019 session of the Texas Legislature, HB 2467 and HB 3775 were ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 01/30/2019 | Maverick (P) Eagle Pass Correctional Facility | It's a jail run by the GEO Group. See this news item of a custody death in January of 2019. ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/06/2017 | Kinney County Special | This report has stayed on the Commission's site for a year and a half ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/29/2018 | Kinney County | This jail has been on the non-compliant list for almost a year now. And no signs that they are working on fixing any of the violations listed in the ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 10/16/2018 | Jim Hogg | view | |
| Resolved | 03/27/2019 | Jefferson County | view | |
| Resolved | 02/25/2019 | Hunt County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/11/2019 | Haskell P - Rolling Plains Detention Center | Very disturbing violations that were found back on September 8th 2018 and have not been remedied. TB plan is out of date and 38 NFPA violations give us great cause for ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 03/04/2019 | Harrison County | Two days before uploading this report, a TJP staffer had a disturbing conversation with a middle-aged woman who was held in the suicide watch cell in this county jail for more than two weeks. In all ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/23/2019 | Hardin County | view | |
| Resolved | 12/05/2018 | Goliad County | This jail has stayed on the non-compliant list for more than 6 months ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 05/11/2018 | Frio County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/13/2019 | Freestone County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/17/2019 | Falls County Special | This was the second inspection conducted within three weeks of the first inspection which showed 14 serious violations. Executive Director of the Jail Commission called out the Sheriff on the ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/10/2019 | Coryell County | Wrongful death lawsuit against two Coryell County jailers set for next ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/24/2019 | Callahan County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/16/2019 | Bowie County | view | |
| Resolved | 02/19/2019 | Bexar County | view | |
| Resolved | 02/12/2019 | Harris County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/22/2019 | Liberty County Jail | When officials addressed the violations that led to the failed inspection, at the recent quarterly meeting of the Jail Commission in Austin, they kept saying, "We are not perfect!" It's a sad joke ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 03/22/2019 | Falls County | "Not fit to house a dog!" That's how the Falls County Jail has been described unofficially by the Jail Commission. On March 12th 2019, we received an anonymous phone call from an employee at the ... read more | view |
| Resolved | 04/12/2017 | Maverick County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/13/2017 | Kinney County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/28/2016 | Houston County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/20/2016 | Hopkins County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/22/2017 | Frio County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/24/2017 | Falls County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/16/2017 | El Paso County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/12/2016 | Edwards County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/10/2017 | Duval County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/27/2017 | Dimmit County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/18/2018 | Dallas County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/20/2017 | Bosque County | view | |
| Resolved | 11/17/2016 | Yoakum County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/21/2017 | Wise County | view | |
| Resolved | 10/12/2016 | Wheeler County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/21/2017 | Waller County | view | |
| Resolved | 08/15/2016 | Van Zandt County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/16/2016 | Trinity County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/15/2016 | Sutton County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/21/2016 | Stephens County | view | |
| Resolved | 01/04/2017 | San Patricio County | view | |
| Resolved | 02/17/2017 | San Saba County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/15/2016 | San Jacinto County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/01/2017 | Red River County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/23/2017 | Reagan County | view | |
| Resolved | 09/20/2016 | Pecos County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/30/2017 | Nueces County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/14/2017 | Baylor County | view | |
| Resolved | 04/19/2017 | Bastrop County | view | |
| Resolved | 03/09/2017 | Angelina County | view |