HARRIS COUNTY JAIL FAILS INSPECTION!The Harris County Jail has failed a state inspection after officials found intercoms and toilets broken and holding cells jammed with prisoners.
The jail has passed just two of its last six reviews by inspectors from the state Commission on Jail Standards. This time, inspectors spent last week reviewing conditions in their first visit to the jail since Harris County Sheriff Adrian Garcia took office in January.
He blames many problems on his lack of authority over maintenance crews that work at the jail. Those crews are contractors that work for another county department.
"I hope the Sheriff's Office can assume control of the jail maintenance process," Garcia said in a statement. "We will make needed repairs, and I will request a re-inspection once they are completed."
Most problems were maintenance issues, said jail commission Executive Director Adan Munoz.
"An inmate should be able to press the intercom and communicate with the officer controlling the floor. When an officer cannot hear an inmate in need that is a life safety issue," he told a Houston newspaper.
The Sheriff's Department has 30 days to propose remedies to the state, Munoz said.
The jail has come under scrutiny in recent years for overcrowding and a series of deaths, including one last year that cost two deputies their jobs.
Garcia has already directed jail officers to check every 15 minutes on inmates without working intercoms. He said he plans to ask county commissioners for money to replace the broken intercoms.
Once repairs have been made, inspectors will return. If the jail still doesn't meet standards, it could be ordered to move some of its inmates.
The jail system houses more than 10,000 people. For years, county officials have wanted to upgrade jail facilities. However, voters defeated a 2007 $245 million bond referendum to build a 2,500-bed jail downtown.
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