Liberty County Sheriff Bobby Rader provided a detailed update on the ongoing repairs to the Liberty County Jail during the commissioners court meeting held Monday, July 22. The update comes as county officials prepare to appear before the Texas Commission on Jail Standards on Aug. 7 in hopes of bringing the facility back into compliance.
The jail was failed in a formal review earlier this year by the state commission, which flagged multiple issues, including broken doors, malfunctioning locks, faulty smoke detectors, inoperative automatic door openers, and problems with the jail’s fire panel.
The situation escalated on Feb. 27 when inmates instigated a riot that resulted in a standoff with law enforcement. Inmates barricaded doors, broke windows, and resisted officers’ efforts to restore order. Just over a month later, two separate fires were reported — one on April 7 and another on April 10 — both ultimately determined to have been intentionally set by inmates.
As a result of the mounting issues, county officials worked quickly to keep the jail operational, albeit with a reduced inmate population, while making urgent repairs. Initially, the county allocated approximately $5 million for the work. However, Rader said the projected cost has since decreased to around $3 million.
A vendor is scheduled to arrive the first week of August to begin work on replacing the facility’s doors and key card systems. Restoration efforts following the fires are ahead of schedule, with cleanup work completed. Damaged shower panels, toilets, sinks, and showers have been either replaced or repaired.
Rader noted that dorms J, K, L and M have been repaired and are currently being painted. Air conditioning repairs are also in progress. Systems in dorms A, B, C and D have been fixed, while repairs in other dorms are expected to be completed once necessary parts arrive in early August. The facility’s freezer has also been repaired.
The jail’s new camera system has been installed, and the vendor is conducting a walk-through this week.
“Once the fire restoration is done, all the deficiencies will be gone,” Rader said. “Everything will be 100 percent then.”
As of Tuesday, the jail was housing 111 inmates, with another 165 inmates outsourced to other facilities. Rader also reported that 10 correctional officer trainees are currently in class and will soon be fully licensed.
“Instead of issuing temporary licenses, we’re having them go through class to pass the test,” he said.
County officials hope the progress will be enough to meet state standards in the upcoming review.
I would say Sheriff Rader is doing the best he can with the resources he is given by county government.