Harris County Jail in Texas has received a notice of noncompliance dated March 8, 2023. It is in regard to a jail inspection report issued on February 17, 2023. The jail was already listed on the current Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) website as a noncompliant jail related to an inspection report dated December 19, 2022.

The address of Harris County Jail is 1200 Baker Street, Houston, TX, 77001. The following are the standards listed in the March 8 notice of noncompliance.

§259.138(a)-Holding Cells

Holding cells must be provided to hold inmates who are in temporary holding, whether they are pending booking, release, processing, or another reason. Inmates will not be held for longer than 48 hours in a holding cell.

• Documents were reviewed, and it was found that inmates were kept in holding cells anywhere from 63 hours to 70 hours. It was also discovered during the review of inmate files that an additional seven inmates were kept in holding from 48.5 hours to 66 hours before being housed.

§273.2-Health Services Plan

Each facility must have and implement a written health services plan that is approved by the Commission. It should make provisions for dental, medical, and mental services. The plan should also provide procedures for making regularly scheduled sick calls.

• Inmates were not seen by medical within 48 hours, as required by the operational plan for the facility.

§273.3-Health Instructions

All medical instructions of designated physicians shall be followed.

• The Harris County Jail was placed in noncompliance in December 2022 for failing to follow a physician’s orders and provide medication to an inmate as directed. During the Comprehensive Re-Inspection, the inspection team found this to be a continuing issue.

§275.1-Regular Observation by Corrections Officers

In the chapter on the supervision of inmates, every jail facility is required to keep the appropriate number of jailers in the facility 24 hours per day. Inmates are to be observed face-to-face every 60 minutes. In areas of the jail where at-risk inmates are housed, they will be observed every 30 minutes. At-risk inmates are those who are known to be potentially suicidal, assaultive, mentally ill, or who have exhibited bizarre behavior.

• The observation records were reviewed and it was found that 60-minute observations of inmates were routinely exceeded by staff by 1 minute to 73 minutes. Also, the observation records for at-risk inmates were reviewed, and it was discovered that staff routinely exceeded the 30-minute time frame by 1 minute up to 2 hours 9 minutes.

§275.4-Staff

Inmates must be supervised by an adequate number of jailers to comply with state law and this chapter. One jailer shall be provided on each floor of the facility where 10 or more inmates are housed, with no less than one jailer per 48 inmates or increment thereof on each floor for direct inmate supervision. This jailer shall provide documented visual inmate supervision no less than once every 60 minutes. Sufficient staff to include supervisors, jailers, and other essential personnel as accepted by the Commission shall be provided to perform required functions.

• The documentation that was sent to the lead inspector for supervision indicated that the Harris County staffing was sufficient. However, floor rosters reviewed during the walkthrough of the 3^rd floor at 701 Baker verified staffing shortage on the day of inspection. It was determined that there were only 13 officers currently working the floor when 14 are needed. This is for a total population of 659 inmates. The 4th-floor staffing was also reviewed, and it was noted that 13 officers were present when 15 officers were required to supervise the 684 inmates on that floor.