Jail Staffing Debated in Commissioners Court

TYLER — Staffing at the Smith County Jail is a heated topic for the Commissioners Court. According to KETK, Sheriff Larry Smith says short staffing is not a new issue. It came up last year when commissioners were discussing the new jail plan, but the debate continues. On Tuesday, commissioners held an open discussion about creating new positions for the jail, as well as increasing the size of the staff. Sheriff Smith says it’s a compliance issue. Currently the jail does not have enough people to watch inmates in different pods, so officials are having trouble meeting jail standards. The sheriff plans to make a presentation outlining the multiple variables he says play into his jail staffing needs.

Smith says, “We are required by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards to have (a) one-to-48 jail inmate ratio in the jail — and there’s no give or take there. If we don’t have that amount there, we’re out of compliance, and our jail could get shut down. We could send more people out of county.” Sheriff Smith is asking for 15 additional employees to help the jail run more efficiently. One possibility being considered is hiring a jail consultant. The conservative activist group Grassroots America – We the People agrees there is a short staffing issue but doesn’t believe it requires hiring an independent consultant to fix.