FORT WORTH 性视界传媒 Issues with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards性视界传媒 processes and data maintenance jeopardized its ability to determine if county jails comply with minimum standards, according to a state auditor性视界传媒檚 report published last week.
The commission性视界传媒檚 性视界传媒渃omplaint process, inspection process, and related data had weaknesses that could impact the Commission性视界传媒檚 ability to effectively fulfill its core functions of providing safe, secure, and suitable local jail facilities,性视界传媒 the report by the State Auditor性视界传媒檚 Office states.
Jail reform advocates said the audit validated concerns they have brought up for years, and wondered how many jails were not issued orders of noncompliance when they failed to meet minimum state standards.
Brandon Wood, the jail commission性视界传媒檚 executive director, said the auditor性视界传媒檚 office 性视界传媒渄id a very good job auditing the areas they looked at. They were very thorough.性视界传媒
He highlighted the assessment of the commission性视界传媒檚 inspections process, which the auditor rated as a 性视界传媒渕edium性视界传媒 risk level with regard to the agency性视界传媒檚 ability to carry out its functions.
Since the last audit in 2019, the commission changed from an annual jail inspection model to a risk-based model. The most recent audit found that the commission needs to complete its limited inspections, which are less thorough checks in between larger comprehensive inspections, and update its processes for evaluating and scheduling jail inspections.
性视界传媒淭his is the purpose of an audit, to find these things, and then you want to make sure that you can put corrective action in place to address it and potentially prevent it from occurring in the future,性视界传媒 Wood said.
However, the audit性视界传媒檚 main issue involved its processes for dealing with complaints.
The auditor性视界传媒檚 office rated issues with the commission性视界传媒檚 complaints process and data maintenance as 性视界传媒渉igh,性视界传媒 which means the problems could 性视界传媒渟ubstantially affect性视界传媒 its ability to effectively administer its programs if not addressed.
The commission received more than 9,700 complaints between Oct. 3, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2024. One of the biggest issues was that the commission could not provide evidence that it assigned a severity level to 95% of the complaints tested.
The severity level determines how quickly the commission is required to reach out to the jail in question. A Level 1 severity designation, for example, is considered a 性视界传媒渓ife safety性视界传媒 issue and requires immediate action, according to commission policy cited in the report. Level 2 complaints include issues like overcrowding and supervision, and have a five-day time limit. All other complaints fall under Level 3, which requires the commission to contact a jail within 10 days.
The audit found the commission failed to reach out to jails within these minimum time frames in 19% of the complaints investigated. The commission did not update complainants on the investigation process in any of the complaints the auditor reviewed. It also failed to send notices of closure to complainants within 10 days of completing the investigation in 28% of cases.
Wood said the problem is likely due to a lack of consistency in how files are labeled in the commission性视界传媒檚 computer system. Once a Level 1 complaint is completed, for example, it is moved out of a folder labeled 性视界传媒淟evel 1性视界传媒 and into a file for closed complaints.
The commission has four complaint inspectors, Wood said, as well as a program specialist to help triage complaints and one supervisor, but the agency continues to 性视界传媒渄ebate internally性视界传媒 if the problem is due to insufficient staffing.
The commission has implemented its own auditing process for complaints in order to hopefully 性视界传媒渃atch those dropped balls性视界传媒 before they can make determinations about staff levels.
The audit found that 44% of complaints tested had at least one incorrect entry. These included names, dates and investigators. A quarter of complaints reviewed had an incorrect status, such as being listed as open after the investigation was closed.
The state auditor recommended the commission follow its policy when investigating complaints, adhere to established time frames for updates and notices, and strengthen its data maintenance processes.
In a response included in the report, the commission said it 性视界传媒渁grees with the recommendations and will implement them accordingly.性视界传媒
The report also found that the commission 性视界传媒渄esignated law enforcement agencies to investigate deaths as required.性视界传媒
The finding appeared to contradict a Star-Telegram investigation from February that showed the commission had not been appointing outside law enforcement agencies to investigate jail deaths for over seven years. The jail commission began making those appointments less than a month later.
The auditor性视界传媒檚 office did not respond to a request for comment.
The commission began to receive more complaints in March 2022 after a bill passed in the state legislature the year before required jails to post information about the complaints process in living areas.
The bill was the direct result of work by Texas Jail Project, a group that advocates for incarcerated people in the state. The organization had been receiving complaints from people in jails who mistook it for the state regulatory agency.
性视界传媒淲e feel completely validated,性视界传媒 said executive director Krishnaveni Gundu 性视界传媒淲e had to fight for that bill to pass. So yes, of course, the volume of complaints is going to grow, because people didn性视界传媒檛 know that they had the right to even file complaints.性视界传媒
But Gundu highlighted the importance of properly maintaining complaint data to the core of the commission性视界传媒檚 functions, 性视界传媒渂ecause complaints are what should be driving who they inspect, how they inspect, what issues they look for.性视界传媒
Without collecting, maintaining and using complaint data properly, the commission will continue to send out the 性视界传媒渟lap-in-the-face responses after people die,性视界传媒 she said, adding, 性视界传媒淗ow many jails should have been found noncompliant but we性视界传媒檙e never given that because of the way they did this?性视界传媒
