Mar 10, 2006 6:13 pm US/Central
Dallas Co. Jails Fail Inspections 3 Years In A Row
by Bud Gillett
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
For the third year in a row, Dallas County's jail system failed a state inspection.
The county is being criticized for letting deficiencies carry over from one year to the next. The jails are citied for familiar problems like overcrowded cells, insufficient staffing and unnecessary delays for medical care. Other examples include inadequate smoke management, inadequate prisoner communication and inadequate maintenance and sanitation.
"We still have issues from last year that carried over to this year, so the issues are not being corrected," said George Johnson of the Jail Standards Commission.
Various smoke detectors did not meet minimum standards. Communication between prisoners is not always maintained. The jails remain understaffed with openings for more than 70 detention service officers. Some bailiffs in the Crowley Courts Building were even seen carrying firearms into secure prisoner holding areas, where guns are not allowed.
Dallas County Sheriff Lupe Valdez said, "There was no real surprises. I'm frustrated we're not as far as we'd like to be, but I'm also aware of how far we've come."
The county has spent $5 million to fix some of the problems pointed out last year. Solutions for the smoke detectors and communication issues are already being addressed, and could cost $4 million alone.
"When they come in now to fix something, they'll look around to see if there's something else that needs attention," said Valdez. "Before they'd just come in and fix whatever we called for."
Dallas County Commissioner Mike Cantrell was not happy that non-security related items like maintenance or sanitation cropped up. "When you talk about maintenance issues, those should have been corrected," he said.
"We're talking about facilities. We can get people in there to get in there and make this a sanitary and secure facility," said Dallas County Commissioner John Wiley Price.
The county has already received variances that allow the jails to remain open despite failures in previous years.
(CBS 11 News)
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