Local jail passes surprise inspection last Monday
Stephens County Sheriff Will Holt announced Monday that the jail passed its third inspection in a row last week. The jail has been inspected three times since January 2017, with the latest inspection being a standard annual visit by Texas Commission on Jail Standards on Monday, April 23.
According to Holt, when a TCJS inspector arrives at the jail, they review a variety of things and interview people, including — but not limited to — policies, required video recordings, jail admissions, fire alarms and paperwork completed by the detention officers on a weekly basis. The inspectors talk to inmates about their experiences and rights while in jail, interview staff, inspect the actual building/cells and conduct life safety drills by the staff.
In a media release, Holt said he would like to give congratulations to Jail Administrator Maj. James Barrera, building/jail maintenance superintendent Donald Spray and the detention officers who work in the jail.
“Like most criminal justice correctional staff across the country, they are underpaid and carry out duties that the law-abiding public rarely see, all while being confined in the jail themselves and interacting with inmates who are often at the lowest times in their lives,” Holt said in the release.
