Advocates Worry About Jail Commission Conflicts
When Harris County officials last week pleaded with the state's Commission on Jail Standards to allow them to keep extra prisoners in their already crowded facilities, they were preaching to a sympathetic choir that included one of their own employees.
One of the commission's nine members is Dr. Michael Seale, the medical director of the Harris County Sheriff's Office; like him, four others work for agencies that are directly affected by rules that the commission is supposed to set to protect inmate safety. The members — including elected county officials or employees of the county jails the commission ...
Comments (10)
Michael Cosper via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Or like the California prison guard union donate millions of dollars to lobbying for the three strikes your out law to keep themselves in prisoners to watch.
Kristen Mahlstede Staggs via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Do you seriously think they need the three strikes law to keep them in prisoners in CA, Michael?! LOL
Bob Brown via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Was that a typo or is there only 245 county lockups even though there are 254 counties? I'm not being picky I am truly curious. If it is not a typo how do they have a court and not a jail.
Michael Cosper via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It keeps a lot of folks in prison when they wouldn't be otherwise.
Bob Brown via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Michael, and you think this is a bad thing? I think rehabilitation is a great thing and helps thousands but there comes a time when you need to stop wasting your time on someone and just keep them away from society if they don't play well with others.
Ginny Garrison-Tate via Texas Tribune on Facebook
This should also be true of Texas' state "schools"/ supported living centers where our citizens who have disabilities are warehoused. Instead they are subjected to horrors, as opposed to being supported in the community, or "most integrated setting," as the federal civil rights laws state.
Bob Brown via Texas Tribune on Facebook
I think it is once again the quality of the people involved. Probably one of the problems is the person appointing the board.
Irene Solnik via Texas Tribune on Facebook
It goes beyond quality, I have seen both monsters and saints in state schools.There needs to be a change period.
Brandi Grissom via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Bob, it's not a typo. Some counties don't have jails. They use other state or local facilities.
Bob Brown via Texas Tribune on Facebook
Brandi, thank you.