May 2nd 2014 – April 2nd 2017. Inspection reports acquired as part of a Public Information Request by Texas Jail Project.

Reports from Jan 2000-May 2013 acquired as part of a Public Information Request by TJP.

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 to do everything in his power to prevents the FBI from investigating her death. But instead of changing the sheriff, the county seems to have hired a public relations firm which has crafted a message of “we know we have a culture problem in our jail and we working to fix it”. The Sheriff’s words at the Jail Commission’s quarterly meeting in August of 2018.

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 in 2005 begging for help. Not only did her baby boy die but she was also denied permission to attend her baby’s funeral. Her crime? Apparently a check she was cashing for her boyfriend had a forged signature.

More recently, 32 year old Clinton Harrington died here due to medical neglect and abuse. https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/couple-question-quality-of-medical-care-in-victoria-jail-in/article_135bb4cc-1853-11e9-9549-d71e89326e31.html

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 complaints from inmates held here and their families. The complaints range from lack of medical care to inadequate or no rec time.

Repeated inspections. Repeated violations. And still no remediation as of May 9th 2019.

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 introduced to counter the kind of systemic problems plaguing privately run facilities like Jack Harwell.

HB 2467 would change the requirement period for temporary county jailers to complete their required training program from one year to 90 days. If a person doesn’t complete the required training, they will be removed from the position.

HB 3775 would require that a person may not be appointed as a county jailer, unless the person has completed the training program in the operation of a county jail at a school operated or licensed by the commission. The training program also must consist of at least eight hours of mental health training approved by the commission and the commission on jail standards.

Both great ideas considering all the horrible death that occur in this facility. Last year TJP wrote to the County Commissioners imploring them to NOT renew the county’s contract with LaSalle. This year, congressmen on the County Affairs Committee subpoenaed La Salle to appear before them during the hearings on HB 2467.

It’s a jail run by the GEO Group. See this news item of a custody death in January of 2019. https://www.postregister.com/news/local/private-prison-death-fallout-failed-audits-firings-and-a-vow/article_9c09ce11-5f38-56ba-a085-675a9f03f08f.html

Houston Chronicle Article from May 3rd 2015:
State inspectors find deficiencies at Liberty County Jail after recent deaths
After two deaths, inspection finds several problems

https://www.houstonchronicle.com/news/houston-texas/houston/article/Houston-news-6238310.php

This report has stayed on the Commission’s site for a year and a half now.

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 inspection.

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 concern.

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 her time there, she was seen by a visiting doctor (she was unsure whether it was a psychiatrist), only once! This doctor told her that she wasn’t sure why this inmate was being kept in suicide watch even though she seemed perfectly normal. When asked if the doctor could recommend her transfer to general population, the doctor responded, “It’s really up to the jail to decide.” Why was she put in suicide watch in the first place? Because when asked during booking if she had ever tried to commit suicide, she said, “Yes, once when I was 13.”

This jail has stayed on the non-compliant list for more than 6 months now!

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 county’s intentional overcrowding practice. The county has a contract with US Corrections to house in-transit inmates. They are not supposed to be housed beyond 48 hours but they often are. The Sheriff’s argument was that they are a poor county and this is the only way they can make money. He also had the audacity to tell the commissioners that the last inspection a few years ago resulted only in 4 violations because it was the inspector’s last day on the job. If more violations had been found, they would have learnt from them and corrected their mistakes. Sheriff did not agree that the increase in violations could have been a direct result of intentional overcrowding and lack of regard for minimum standards and rules.

Wrongful death lawsuit against two Coryell County jailers set for next summer.

https://www.kxxv.com/news/local-news/wrongful-death-lawsuit-against-two-coryell-county-jailers-set-for-next-summer?fbclid=IwAR3yt-ZBg_7w6Xzm-cH-75UvLxG8a7GUdsmRcEhK6MbGyLpTPw66virJESk

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 when you think about the fact that the standards laid down by the Commission are titled “MINIMUM STANDARDS.” That’s what they’re failing. BARE MINIMUM STANDARDS! Not some 3-star hotel inspection.

“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 Falls County Jail who expressed deep concern over the conditions of overcrowding and lack of jailer training. We filed a complaint on March 16th and within a week the Jail Commission inspected the facility. This report shows the 14 serious violations including not notifying the magistrate in mental health cases, not verifying veterans status, not conducting mandatory 30 minute face-to-face checks and jailers working without training and licenses.