Harrison County Non-Compliant Jail Report

Jail Name

Harrison County 

Report Date

03/04/2019 

Number of days

66 

Inspector

William T.Phariss; Shane Sowell 

Original Report

Download Non-Compliant Report

Notes and Summary

 

• The administration was unable to produce documentation supporting staff are receiving the required 1 hour of suicide recognition/ prevention training upon employment on new employees and 1 hour of annual training on existing employees, as outlined in the approved operation plan.
• During the review of face-to-face observations of inmates placed on a 15 minute suicide watch as outlined in the approved operational plan, it was determined that staff exceeded the 15 minute observations by 1 minute up to 29 minutes.
• During the review of face-to-face observations of inmates placed in restraints, it was determined that staff exceeded the 15 minute observations by 1 minute up to 42 minutes.
• During the walk-through of the annex facility, the inspection team observed evidence of roof leaks in Recreation yard #2, dorms A7-1, A7-4 and A3-12. This was an issue on the FY 2018 annual inspection that was repaired but has since started leaking again.
• The administration could not produce food handler licenses for all staff supervising the food preparation. The administration was advised any staff member supervising the preparation of food shall have a food handler license and be readily available for Commission review.
• During the review of disciplinary reports, the inspection team determined staff are not
  allowing inmates the full 24 hour notice before offering the inmate a waiver. In some cases, the officers are serving the notice and having the inmate sign the waiver at the same time.

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.”

Violation Types

• Discipline And Grievances - Chapter 283: Discipline and Grievances
• Food Service - Chapter 281: Food Service
• Health Services - Chapter 273: Health Services
• Sanitation

Harrison County Non-compliant Jail Reports