Smith County Jail found non-compliant on two issues

SMITH COUNTY — The Smith County Jail had its yearly inspection by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, TCJS, found the facility to non-compliant on two issues. The jail was deficient on physical education and nutrition. Sheriff Larry Smith addressed both issues with KTBB on Wednesday,”We are installing lights on top of the roof of the jail so we can do recreation at night. The second and third floors are the only ones we were deficient, and that happens as a result of logistics of physically moving prisoners on those levels to recreation on the roof of the jail.”

Sheriff Smith continued,”During the daytime, Monday through Friday all of the movement of transferring inmates that is when it’s accomplished. Going to court, going to video visitation, going to the clinic, going wherever, it’s just like a busy highway through out the jail of transporting prisoners. Well it makes more sense to do recreation at night time.”

Sheriff Smith acknowledged the nutritional aspect of the report, “No excuse again cause we should still be on top of it. Our meals are sub-contracted out. We have subcontractors in the facility. That oversee the trustees preparing of the meals, and serving the meals. And in doing so they have different menus up for two weeks in advance. Those menu’s have to meet certain caloric intake. So what was happening there are different color coded scoops, for scooping rice, scooping macaroni, scooping gravy, may have a half cup scoop, one cup scoop, three quarters cup scoop, the trustees who are serving the food were mixing up the scoops and not having the proper caloric intake. So we are working on taking care of that with the vendor.”