BEAUMONT — The Jefferson County Jail passed an unannounced surprise inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards conducted beginning Wednesday, June 16.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards is the State agency that annually inspects all county jails in the State of Texas. This process takes three days to complete in Jefferson County. Not only do they inspect the County Jail on Hwy. 69 but they also inspect the Downtown Jail Facility, located in the Jefferson County Courthouse.

The annual inspection consists of several reviews such as but not limited to: doing a physical walk through of the inmate living areas to check on all life-safety equipment on emergency power, intercom system, door controls, smoke management systems, lighting, cleanliness, fire panels. The inspector also gives a timed fire drill to see if officers respond in a timely manner with the appropriate fire suppression equipment. (Scott air pack, portable fire extinguishers and emergency keys) The inspector also does sanitation checks on toilets, drinking water, and hot water for showers.

The annual inspection also consists of checking records on officer security rounds, inmate disciplinary action, inmate grievances, inmate classification which determined where an inmate will be housed while in the Correctional Facility. Files on inmates who have bee released from custody along with recreation log books are also inspected.

The kitchen where inmate food is prepared is also inspected by the Commission. They are checked for cleanliness proper diet as well as its annual health inspection from the health department. The jail medical is also inspected by the Commission to make sure that the proper medical screening and testing is conducted. They also check on inmate medical records to assure that inmates are seen in a timely manner. 

These are just a few of the areas that the Texas Commission on Jail Standards looks for when they conduct their inspections. The inspection is very detailed and thorough. The staff of the Jefferson County Correctional Facility works really hard to run a very efficient and secure facility. This year marks the twentieth year in a row that Jefferson County has passed their annual jail inspection.