The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) currently lists Harris County Jail four times in Texas as a Non-Compliant Jail on the TCJS website. Records show that a special jail inspection report issued on April 17, 2023, cited Harris County Jail for noncompliance. Two more special jail inspection reports citing Harris County Jail for noncompliance with minimum jail standards are also listed plus one standard jail inspection report. In the latest special jail inspection report, TCJS inspectors found that the Houston, Texas, jail violated 1 minimum jail standard.

The address of Harris County Jail is 1200 Baker Street, Houston, TX. Details on alleged noncompliance follow.

RULE §275.1 is in the chapter on Supervision of Inmates. Section 1 addresses Regular Observation by Jailers. Every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes.

• A review of a video submitted after a custodial death revealed an inmate was able to enter a restroom and remain unobserved for 88 minutes before being discovered.

In a special jail inspection report dated February 13-17, 2023, Harris County Jail was cited for 5 violations of jail standards. The same rule stated above was among the five violations. The report mentioned the part of the rule below, and the TCJS inspector made the statement that follows.

RULE §275.1 Every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes. Observation shall be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are confined.

• A review of the observation logs found that 60-minute observations of inmates were exceeded by staff on a routine basis. In addition, observation records for the areas where inmates were known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior or were confined were routinely exceeded by staff by 1 minute to 2 hours 9 minutes.