Category: County Jails|Texas Commission on Jail Standards

Caldwell County Jail is located at 1204 Reed Drive, Lockhart, Texas 78644. The phone number at Caldwell County Jail is (512) 398-6777. The inmate capacity is 301. The responsibilities of the Caldwell County Sheriff include running the jail. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) establishes mandatory guidelines for running the city and county jails in Texas.

Caldwell County Jail Inmate Mail

Keeping in touch with inmates is often  important for family members and friends of those who have been incarcerated. The following are a few of the guidelines about mail, to ensure that your communications get through to the inmate.  

• Please address your mail as follows when mailing a postcard or letter to an inmate at Caldwell County Jail:
  • First and Last Name of the Inmate
    Jail & Sheriff: 1204 Reed Drive
    Police: 214 Bufkin Lane
    Lockhart, TX 78644
• The name and mailing address of the sender must be in the top left corner of the postcard or envelope for mail sent to Caldwell County Jail inmates. The result of failing to include return address details often means the inmate will not receive the letter or postcard, which is destroyed.
• Inmates can have local and national newspapers mailed to them because they are sent directly from newspaper publishers.  
• Care packages are pre-chosen items such as snacks, seasonal items, and clothing that are packaged together and mailed to inmates from a third-party vendor.

The purpose of this site’s blog posts is to supply helpful information to inmates and their families, especially if it is believed or known that civil rights have been violated. There is no intent to infer misconduct on the part of any entity or individual.

–Guest Contributor

Polk Street Jail is located at 1601 East Polk Street in Burnet, Texas 78611. The phone number at Polk Street Jail is (512) 715-8600. The inmate capacity is 587. The duties of the Burnet County Sheriff include running the jail. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) provides rules and guidelines for running all city and county jails in Texas.

Polk Street Jail is certified by the TCJS and operates as a less-than-72-hour hold facility for I.C.E. and U.S. Marshalls.      

Visitation Rules for Polk Street Jail in Burnet County

The following are a few of the visitation rules for Polk Street Jail:

• No visitor will be allowed for visits if they have been detained at the Polk Street Jail within the past six months, and there are no exceptions to this policy. A former inmate must wait six months from the date of their release before they can be added to an inmate’s visitation list.
• All adults must have a photo ID to be allowed for a visit.
• All members of the public are limited to one visit per week during inmate visits, which are Monday through Saturday.
• Sign-up for a visit must be at least 15 minutes before the scheduled time of the visit.
• If a person is scheduled for a visit and either shows up late or does not show up, that individual will not be allowed to visit at the jail for the remainder of the week, including Saturdays.

The purpose of this post is to provide information that may be of help to inmates and members of their family, particularly if civil rights have potentially been violated. There is no intent to imply wrongdoing on the part of any person or entity.

–Guest Contributor

The Burleson County Jail is located at 1334 Highway 21 E. in Caldwell, Texas 77836. The phone number at Burleson County Jail is (979) 567-4343. The inmate capacity is 96. Burleson County Sheriff’s duties include running the jail. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) provides rules and guidelines for running all city jails and county jails in Texas.

Burleson County Jail Visitation

Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday are inmate visitation days at Burleson County Jail. Visits for female visitors are from 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM. Visits for males are from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on each visitation day. The following are rules of visitation:

• Visits will not be granted to anyone whose name does not appear on the inmate’s visitation list.
• Visitors are required to check in 1/2 hour before the end of visitation.
• Visits will not be allowed for any inmate who has been at Burleson County Jail for less than 72 hours.
• Signing up for a visit at the jail is not allowed until 30 minutes before the beginning of visitation.
• The maximum length of time that any person can visit an inmate at the jail is 20 minutes. All visitors must visit during this session.
• Visitors are allowed to visit only one inmate per day.
• Any child younger than 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult and must be a dependent of the person being visited. Anyone who is 16 years old and older is required to present a valid driver’s license or another type of photo ID.

Inmate Phone Calls

Anyone who is interested in accessing the inmate phone service at Burleson County Jail must call 1-800-844-6591 or go to securustech.net.

The purpose of this and all posts on this website is to provide information that may be helpful to inmates, their family members, and friends. There is no intent to suggest that wrongdoing has occurred on the part of any person or government institution.

–Guest Contributor

According to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS), a complaint was made on behalf of a prisoner which prompted a special jail inspection at Crosby County Jail in Crosbyton, Texas. A Special Inspection Report was released by TCJS on March 7, 2018, regarding the results of the inspection. A citation was issued alleging that the jail staff had violated a minimum jail standard.

The investigation into the prisoner complaint included viewing a video taken at Crosby County Jail on January 11, 2018. This was done because the complainant claimed with certainty that required observations of prisoners were not performed that day. Video review showed that required 60-minute observations were exceeded by from 1 minute to about 3 hours. Documentation, however, indicated that visual face-to-face observations were conducted by jailers within the required time frame. Because the video evidence failed to support the documentation in the observation logs, a citation for a violation was issued.

Face-to-face observations in county jails in Texas are required for the safety of prisoners. Not everyone in a county jail is guilty of whatever they have been jailed for. In addition to that and despite procedures to keep prisoners safe, it can be frightening and dangerous for anyone to be locked in a facility with other people who could be criminals with violent tendencies. Without routine visits and oversight of jailers, potential dangers could increase. This is similar to the requirement to check on potentially suicidal prisoners every 30 minutes at most. It is not uncommon for jailers conducting observations to discover that a person is in the process of committing suicide. Sometimes the prisoner is rescued quickly enough to survive, and maintaining minimum jail standards increases the possibility of survival.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

A January 4, 2018, Jail Inspection Report details alleged violations of minimum jail standards at San Patricio County Jail in Sinton, Texas. The report was prepared by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) after performing an unscheduled investigation. Allegedly, the jail violated five minimum jail standards, and at least four of them involve potential danger to prisoners.

One of the alleged violations was related to the requirement that prisoners confined in a detoxification or holding cell are observed by jail personnel every 30 minutes at most. Inspectors who reviewed documentation of prisoner observations in detox and holding cells reported the discovery that jail staff exceeded the 30-minute requirement on a consistent basis. Since these observations are intended to prevent prisoners from harm, the lack of diligence is cause for concern.

County jails are required to keep up with preventative maintenance, which includes making necessary repairs and ensuring that the facility is sanitary, safe, and secure. Inspectors with TCJS reported that numerous issues were found which provided evidence that preventative maintenance is being neglected. Among the hazards reported are the following:

• In wet areas, parts of the concrete and metal walls were rusted through or chipped away. This has made pipe chases and other cell areas accessible to multiple cells.
• The jail environment was reported as being substandard and not compliant with the requirement to provide a sanitary place for prisoners, though a slight improvement over other recent visits.

Read more about alleged potential hazards at San Patricio County Jail in part one of this two-part series.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

In March 2017, Bosque County Jail in Meridian, Texas, was cited for six alleged violations of minimum jail standards. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has since sent inspectors to the jail again. A Jail Inspection Report dated February 14, 2018, alleges that the jail was, on the latest occasion, found in violation of 11 minimum jail standards. Among the alleged violations was a failure to notify medical personnel of a prisoner who reported a history of heart attacks and strokes during the screening process. Another alleged violation that potentially jeopardizes the safety of prisoners is that prisoners are not being classified prior to being assigned housing. It is a requirement to admit prisoners according to custody levels.

The following are more details on alleged violations of minimum jail standards at Bosque County Jail:

• A door upon entry of the facility that leads from the jail to the kitchen was not secured and the door to controls for doors and intercoms was not secure, either.
• Temperatures must be reasonably maintained between 65°F and 85°F, but in Cell F6, the temperature was 62° and it was 54° in Cell 57 during a visit in wintertime.
• Reassessment of prisoners is required within 30 to 90 days of Initial Custody Assessment, but a review of four random files showed that not all prisoners are being reassessed.
• If a prisoner is observed to be potentially suicidal or mentally disabled, the magistrate must be notified. Documentation from the jail indicated that this minimum jail standard may be routinely neglected.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

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.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) is the entity that conducts county jail inspections and implements declared state policies that all county jail facilities must conform to in order to meet minimum standards of operation, maintenance, and construction. The operation of jail facilities is under the jurisdiction of TCJS, along with the care, custody, and treatment of prisoners and more. A Jail Inspection Report was released on November 20, 2017, detailing one alleged violation committed by Lamb County Jail in Littlefield, Texas.

The standard allegedly violated was in regard to an emergency back-up electrical generator that is supposed to operate both automatically and manually in the event that the primary electrical power source is interrupted. The system must have the capability of operating for at least 1 ½ hours without the need to refuel. The back-up power source should be provided for life safety systems and other necessary equipment, including but not limited to:

• Fire detection and alarm systems,
• Exit lights,
• Emergency illumination systems,
• Audible communication systems,
• Security and control systems,
• Normal ventilation systems required for smoke detection, and
• Smoke management systems.

Investigators with TCJS found that there is an interruption of service to both intercoms and door controls when the power load is transferred to the generator and when transferring back to normal power from the generator.

When minimum safety standards are not upheld, prisoners and jail staff can be put at risk. County jails are required to make the needed changes so that minimum jail standards are met. If they fail, they are subject to intervention.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor

Behind Tom Green County Jail northeast of San Angelo, Texas, located at 3262 U.S. 277 N., is a construction project for a new jail facility. Originally, the old and new jail facilities were to operate concurrently; and the new jail was to expand in the future. As of December 19, 2017, however, Phase 2 of the construction plan is now in negotiations to be built at the same time as Phase 1. The Commissioners Court made this decision in a unanimous vote, and there are several factors which led to the change in plan.

A major consideration is the burdensome cost of operating two separate jail facilities at the same time. Each jail would have to remain compliant with minimum jail standards, separate and apart from the other. One of the complications is that there must be a separate medical team for each, and there is already a challenge meeting medical staffing requirements.

Food services would also have to be handled separately because of a law that food cannot be prepared in one location and transferred to a separate facility. More kitchen employees would be required to operate two independent kitchens.

Construction costs will be lower by building Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the new jail at the same time. For instance, instead of a plumbing team getting the work done on one and then having to be paid on a separate occasion to do the work for the second phase, all work can be done as one project. The window of time in which this benefit can be realized is brief, since Phase 1 of construction is already underway.

The logistics of a courthouse remodel in Tom Green County are also being considered. The idea is to move all inmates and staff out of the current jail once the new jail is built. Then the vacated jail could be used for the court system while the 1928 courthouse structure is being renovated.

The jail has stayed in compliance with minimum jail standards since at least February 2014, according to Texas Commission on Jail Standards Executive Director Brandon Woods. The jail did have help, however, technical help in that it was given time to correct some things before being cited. Woods said older jails frequently have difficulty keeping up with preventative maintenance.

As with every post on this website, we are only providing information in this post and do not make any allegation or assertion that anyone acted inappropriately or engaged in misconduct.

–Guest Contributor