Liberty County takes steps to address jail crisis, retains legal counsel

Update: On Monday afternoon, April 14, the Liberty County Attorney’s Office issued a statement confirming that the Texas Commission on Jail Standards has issued a Second Amended Remedial Order regarding the Liberty County Jail. According to the statement, the order addresses ongoing non-compliance issues and mandates the cessation of all jail operations, effective 15 days from the date of service on April 14, 2025. “Liberty County will use this time to take necessary steps to bring the Liberty County Jail back into compliance with jail standards,” the statement read. The Sheriff’s Office is currently working to relocate all inmates to contracted facilities to allow for needed repairs. The county emphasized that it “takes this issue seriously” and will collaborate closely with state officials to ensure the health and safety of jail staff, inmates, and the broader community.

Original article: The Liberty County Commissioners Court held a special-called meeting on Monday, April 14, to address several matters concerning county operations, including jail compliance issues and a proposed interlocal agreement for inmate housing.

Among the agenda items discussed was the naming convention for roads within new subdivisions and developments in unincorporated portions of Liberty County. Commissioners voted to maintain number designations for thoroughfares and major roads but will now allow street names for subdivisions and smaller roads, provided there are no duplications within a jurisdiction.

In other business, the Court voted to table the purchase of a new vehicle for the Liberty County Fire Marshal’s Office, choosing instead to wait for clarification on how insurance funds can be applied toward the purchase. The current vehicle was damaged earlier this month when a wheel assembly from an 18-wheeler detached and rolled into oncoming traffic, striking the fire marshal’s county vehicle.

Commissioners renewed an interlocal agreement with San Jacinto County for the purpose of housing inmates—an arrangement that helps alleviate overcrowding in the Liberty County Jail.

However, the most pressing issue of the meeting was discussed in an hour-long executive session. Following that closed-door discussion, commissioners returned to open session to approve the retention of outside legal counsel – Bickerstaff Heath Delgado Acosta LLP – to represent the county in potential legal matters involving the Texas Commission on Jail Standards or the Texas Attorney General’s Office.

Following the meeting, Assistant County Attorney Kathrine McCarty explained that the County is trying to act quickly to address the issues at the county jail; however, the Jail Commission could possibly take steps to force action from Liberty County. One of the most recent requests from the Jail Commission is that Liberty County relocate approximately 100 of its inmates to neighboring counties while repairs are made to the jail.

Liberty County’s decision to potentially retain outside legal counsel signals the seriousness of the issues at hand as the County works to address repeated violations and avoid potential state intervention.

According to Assistant County Attorney Kathrine McCarty, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards could issue a remedial order against Liberty County, which would trigger a 15-day timeline to correct the listed deficiencies. However, McCarty said that if the county is actively taking steps to address the problems, the Jail Standards Commission may choose not to enforce the remedial order.

“Liberty County and Commissioners Court want to take steps to correct those deficiencies as soon as possible so we can run a facility that is safe not only for the inmates, but our community,” McCarty said.

Some early estimates place the cost of necessary repairs at around $5 million, though Pct. 1 Commissioner Bruce Karbowski noted the final amount is likely to be higher once detailed cost assessments are completed.

Since August 2023, Liberty County has failed five consecutive jail inspections. The most recent inspections, conducted in January and March 2025, identified numerous critical deficiencies at the facility. Among them were:

• Improper use of visitation areas: One of the most serious findings involved the Feb. 9, 2025, escape of an inmate who had been held in a visitation area “for safekeeping” instead of in a designated holding cell. The report noted that visitation areas are not designed to function as holding cells and doing so compromises security.
• Inoperable or unsecured doors: During the same escape, it was found that multiple security doors—including one on the secure side of the facility and the visitation door—did not lock properly or were left unsecured. Inspectors found that only doors on the west end of the jail could be operated remotely; the rest required manual locking.
• Custody level violations: A riot on Feb. 27, 2025, led to an investigation that revealed minimum custody inmates were housed with maximum custody inmates, violating required inmate classification standards.
• Overcrowded housing units: A Jan. 31 inspection found that Liberty County had exceeded capacity in several dormitories and multi-occupancy cells, with some lacking the necessary square footage, fixtures, and supervision as required by state guidelines.
• Security and maintenance issues: Inspectors cited nonworking locks, missing keys, and unsecured sliders. Many of the detention locks were not purpose-built for secure facilities and were missing entirely in some areas.
• Fire safety concerns: Life safety equipment had not been inspected or maintained as required. The fire panel showed 158 trouble codes at the time of inspection. The kitchen’s Ansul hood system was 60 days overdue for its six-month inspection, and the facility’s fire prevention plan failed a recent inspection conducted by the local Fire Marshal.
• Suicide prevention failures: Liberty County was not performing documented observations for inmates on suicide watch, nor was it processing suicide screening forms as mandated by the Code of Criminal Procedure Article 16.22.
• Insufficient staff and supervision: The jail did not meet the required ratio of 1 jailer per 48 inmates for direct supervision. Additionally, inspections found a lack of documented face-to-face checks, as well as non-functioning intercom systems that prevented two-way communication between inmates and jailers.
• Sanitation and health violations: Housing units were cluttered with trash, and the facility had not completed a required kitchen inspection, which was already 20 days overdue at the time of the review. Several toilets, showers, and light fixtures were also reported as broken or unusable.

In addition to these findings, the jail has sustained further damage from two recent incidents. On Feb. 27, inmates rioted, busting out windows and damaging jail property. More recently, a fire on April 7 caused additional damage to a section of the facility. The fire is believed to have been started by a faulty lighting ballast.

Also following executive session, commissioners voted to end the County’s Master Services Contract with Burns Architecture, the firm responsible for designing the new Liberty County Law Enforcement Center on SH 146 and the Northwest Annex in Colony Ridge. McCarty explained that the decision allows the County to go out for Requests for Qualifications (RFQs) on future projects and seek potential grant funding. She clarified that the vote does not exclude Burns Architecture from bidding on future projects.