State Inspectors Find One Issue At The Brazos County Jail That Is Being Addressed

Image from https://brazoscountysheriff.org/
Image from https://brazoscountysheriff.org/

The Brazos County sheriff’s office has announced the results of its annual jail inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.

There was one issue preventing the jail from being in compliance.

That was providing additional training to document restraint checks, something which was identified by detention staff in June.

According to a news release from the sheriff’s office, the additional training will be completed by the end of this week.

Tuesday’s meeting of the Brazos County commission, which includes a weekly report of the jail’s inmate population, did not bring up the state inspection.

News release from the Brazos County sheriff’s office:

On August 12, 2022, Texas Commission on Jail Standards Inspector Byron Shelton completed a two-day inspection of Brazos County Detention Facilities.

The inspector found the Brazos County Detention Center to be in compliance with the exception of restraint checks documentation.

Detention center staff identified issues with the documentation during a self-audit in June and implemented efforts to correct the issue.

The inspector issued a letter of noncompliance and requested that we conduct additional training in addition to actions previously taken.

Additional training was initiated immediately and will be completed by the end of the week.

Every Texas Jail is inspected annually to verify they are in compliance with VTCA, Local Government Code, Chapter 351 and Texas Minimum Jail Standards. The two day inspection included:

  • review of site security;
  • review of facility maintenance and condition,
  • review of life safety preparation and performance;
  • review of staffing levels;
  • review of inmate admission, classification and release;
  • review for sanitation and personal hygiene;
  • review of medical services, mental health services and records;
  • review of procedures for reporting inmates with mental illness
  • examination of records on required jail activities, such as recreation, visitation, and correspondence;
  • review of inmate commissary, visitation, and religious practices
  • interviews with inmates; and
  • a review of inmate grievance and discipline procedures.

The Brazos County Detention Center has exceeded Texas Jail Standards for decades and will continue to serve our community with professionalism into the future.

Sheriff Dicky states: “The operation of a compliant jail is critical to meeting our community expectations. We take this responsibility seriously and work diligently to be prepared for these unannounced inspections. We will resolve the issue that has been identified and are dedicated to continued compliance.”