Harrison County Jail in Marshall, Texas, is Cited for 2 Alleged Violations of Minimum Jail Standards
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) did an inspection at Harrison County Jail in Marshall, Texas, and released the results in February 2018. The jail was cited for two alleged violations of minimum jail standards in the Jail Inspection Report. Details follow.
- In the category of Facility Maintenance, jail facilities must have all life safety equipment maintained, inspected, and tested by individuals who are qualified to do so. The purpose is to ensure that such equipment is at all times secure, safe, and fully operative. It was discovered during a walk-through of the annex facility at Harrison County Jail that the fire panel could not reset to normal mode after the simulated fire drill was run, and the panel showed a fault.
- In the Inspections, Maintenance, and Testing category, the facility is to be kept sanitary, secure, and safe by conducting preventative maintenance and making necessary repairs. A TCJS inspector identified evidence of roof leaks in the kitchen, one of the detoxification cells, and two dormitories. During a walk-through in the 24-bed dorm in the annex facility, an inspector observed that the showers are severely in need of paint. The bare concrete block was exposed due to paint in the showers wearing away.
TCJS was created in 1975, and it oversees county jails in Texas. One of the requirements of the commission is to make unannounced jail inspections. There are also inspections following custodial deaths, which generate Special Jail Inspection Reports. The purpose in these instances is to determine whether minimum jail standards were adhered to at the time a prisoner died while in the custody of a Texas county jail.
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