Adan Muñoz: The TT Interview
Running a jail is a thankless job, said Adan Muñoz. He ought to know. He has been director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards since 2006, and before that he was Kleberg County Sheriff, where he was in charge of the local lockup.
The commission, with a budget of $1 million, is responsible for inspecting and overseeing conditions at all 245 county jails in Texas. After the budget-cutting legislative session this year, Muñoz and his tiny staff are figuring out how to do that with 7.5 percent less money than before.
Muñoz talked with the ...
Comments (5)
Jill Meredith Bergene via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Decriminalize marijuana and the non-violent offender population in jail would plummet.
Tom Mack via Texas Tribune on Facebook
There needs to be a new standard on incarceration. If the criminal poses a threat to society, lock him up. If the criminal is not a threat, they can either wear an anklet if the offense requires it, or they can be on probation.
Bill Eaves via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Build an out door facility, like Sheriff Joe has in AZ!!!
Jose B. Gonzalez via Texas Tribune on Facebook
The prisons themselves are the problem. The prison officials have lost control over the inmates, the prison's violent environment only serves as a criminal university of sorts... 1st time offenders are thrown into a system that forces them to become violent in order to survive. In prison, new criminals become bigger criminals, harden criminals only become worse, nobody is rehabilitated. The system we have allowed to fester in our prisons is producing the worst of our criminals,the prison system is a complete failure...
diana claitor
In this excellent interview, Director Muñoz makes interesting points that those commenting barely seem to notice. Maybe those in county government will however, since he talks about how privatization is not necessarily the answer to the high cost of incarceration. He also points out how the court system can alleviate the overcrowding problems that the sheriff has very little to do with – although I don't see Muñoz saying a peep about one very direct way populations can be reduced: instead of packing people accused of low-level misdemeanors into our jails, police departments can use the citation system allowed by 2007 legislation.
Muñoz describes what he calls the biggest challenge: finding good detention officers and the turnover rate--this is a serious problem that deserves attention by the law enforcement community, county government and the public at large. How do we go about improving conditions and pay, to attract the best kind of officers? This needs to become a priority for counties in Texas.