Sec. 511.009. GENERAL DUTIES.
(a) The commission shall:
(1) adopt reasonable rules and procedures establishing minimum standards for the construction, equipment, maintenance, and operation of county jails;
(2) adopt reasonable rules and procedures establishing minimum standards for the custody, care, and treatment of prisoners;
(3) adopt reasonable rules establishing minimum standards for the number of jail supervisory personnel and for programs and services to meet the needs of prisoners;
(4) adopt reasonable rules and procedures establishing minimum requirements for programs of rehabilitation, education, and recreation in county jails;
(5) revise, amend, or change rules and procedures if necessary;
(6) provide to local government officials consultation on and technical assistance for county jails;
(7) review and comment on plans for the construction and major modification or renovation of county jails;
(8) require that the sheriff and commissioners of each county submit to the commission, on a form prescribed by the commission, an annual report on the conditions in each county jail within their jurisdiction, including all information necessary to determine compliance with state law, commission orders, and the rules adopted under this chapter;
(9) review the reports submitted under Subdivision (8) and require commission employees to inspect county jails regularly to ensure compliance with state law, commission orders, and rules and procedures adopted under this chapter;
(10) adopt a classification system to assist sheriffs and judges in determining which defendants are low-risk and consequently suitable participants in a county jail work release program under Article 42.034, Code of Criminal Procedure;
(11) adopt rules relating to requirements for segregation of classes of inmates and to capacities for county jails;
(12) require that the chief jailer of each municipal lockup submit to the commission, on a form prescribed by the commission, an annual report of persons under 17 years of age securely detained in the lockup, including all information necessary to determine compliance with state law concerning secure confinement of children in municipal lockups;
(13) at least annually determine whether each county jail is in compliance with the rules and procedures adopted under this chapter;
(14) require that the sheriff and commissioners court of each county submit to the commission, on a form prescribed by the commission, an annual report of persons under 17 years of age securely detained in the county jail, including all information necessary to determine compliance with state law concerning secure confinement of children in county jails;
(15) schedule announced and unannounced inspections of jails under the commission's jurisdiction using the risk assessment plan established under Section 511.0085 to guide the inspections process;
(16) adopt a policy for gathering and distributing to jails under the commission's jurisdiction information regarding:
(A) common issues concerning jail administration;
(B) examples of successful strategies for maintaining compliance with state law and the rules, standards, and procedures of the commission; and
(C) solutions to operational challenges for jails;
(17) report to the Texas Correctional Office on Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments on a jail's compliance with Article 16.22, Code of Criminal Procedure;
(18) adopt reasonable rules and procedures establishing minimum requirements for jails to:
(A) determine if a prisoner is pregnant; and
(B) ensure that the jail's health services plan addresses medical and mental health care, including nutritional requirements, and any special housing or work assignment needs for persons who are confined in the jail and are known or determined to be pregnant;
(19) provide guidelines to sheriffs regarding contracts between a sheriff and another entity for the provision of food services to or the operation of a commissary in a jail under the commission's jurisdiction, including specific provisions regarding conflicts of interest and avoiding the appearance of impropriety; and
Text of subdivision as added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 281, Sec. 2
(20) require the sheriff of each county to:
(A) investigate and verify the veteran status of each prisoner by using data made available from the Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS) operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or a similar service; and
(B) use the data described by Paragraph (A) to assist prisoners who are veterans in applying for federal benefits or compensation for which the prisoners may be eligible under a program administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs
Text of subdivision as added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 648, Sec. 1
(20) adopt reasonable rules and procedures establishing minimum standards for prisoner visitation that provide each prisoner at a county jail with a minimum of two in-person, noncontact visitation periods per week of at least 20 minutes duration each
Text of subdivision as added by Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 688, Sec. 4
(20) adopt reasonable rules and procedures regarding visitation of a prisoner at a county jail by a guardian, as defined by Section 1002.012, Estates Code, that:
(A) allow visitation by a guardian to the same extent as the prisoner's next of kin, including placing the guardian on the prisoner's approved visitors list on the guardian's request and providing the guardian access to the prisoner during a facility's standard visitation hours if the prisoner is otherwise eligible to receive visitors; and
(B) require the guardian to provide the sheriff with letters of guardianship issued as provided by Section 1106.001, Estates Code, before being allowed to visit the prisoner.
(a-1) A county jail that as of September 1, 2015, has incurred significant design, engineering, or construction costs to provide prisoner visitation that does not comply with a rule or procedure adopted under Subsection (a)(20), or does not have the physical plant capability to provide the in-person prisoner visitation required by a rule or procedure adopted under Subsection (a)(20), is not required to comply with any commission rule or procedure adopted under Subsection (a)(20).
(a-2) A commission rule or procedure adopted under Subsection (a)(20) may not restrict the authority of a county jail under the commission's rules in effect on September 1, 2015, to limit prisoner visitation for disciplinary reasons.
(b) A commission rule or procedure is not unreasonable because compliance with the rule or procedure requires major modification or renovation of an existing jail or construction of a new jail.
(c) At any time and on the application of the county commissioners court or sheriff, the commission may grant reasonable variances, including variances that are to last for the life of a facility, clearly justified by the facts, for operation of a facility not in strict compliance with state law. A variance may not permit unhealthy, unsanitary, or unsafe conditions.
Added by Acts 1989, 71st Leg., ch. 212, Sec. 2.01, eff. Sept. 1, 1989. Amended by Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 171, Sec. 1, eff. Aug. 28, 1995; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 262, Sec. 89, eff. Jan. 1, 1996; Acts 1995, 74th Leg., ch. 722, Sec. 2, eff. Sept. 1, 1995; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 165, Sec. 12.30, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 1997, 75th Leg., ch. 259, Sec. 7, eff. Sept. 1, 1997; Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 1092, Sec. 1, eff. June 20, 2003.
Amended by:
Acts 2005, 79th Leg., Ch. 1094 (H.B. 2120), Sec. 8, eff. September 1, 2005.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 977 (H.B. 3654), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2009, 81st Leg., R.S., Ch. 1215 (S.B. 1009), Sec. 9, eff. September 1, 2009.
Acts 2011, 82nd Leg., R.S., Ch. 91 (S.B. 1303), Sec. 11.012, eff. September 1, 2011.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 281 (H.B. 875), Sec. 2, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 648 (H.B. 549), Sec. 1, eff. September 1, 2015.
Acts 2015, 84th Leg., R.S., Ch. 688 (H.B. 634), Sec. 4, eff. September 1, 2015.
Section: Previous 511.005 511.006 511.0061 511.007 511.0071 511.008 511.0085 511.009 511.0091 511.0092 511.0093 511.0094 511.0095 511.0096 511.0097 NextLast modified: September 28, 2016