Naked City

On March 22, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards released its latest report card detailing the state of Travis County's jail system. For three years running, the county jails have failed their state-mandated inspections, most glaringly for understaffing and overcrowding. This time around, inspectors found that overcrowding had been eliminated and that a host of other infractions -- including some cleanliness problems in bathrooms and kitchens -- still posed an issue for TCJS, but were significantly less numerous or conspicuous.

Yet TCJS inspector Shannon J. Kerklotz found that inmates still were not consistently receiving the required one hour of recreation three times weekly, a problem cited on TCJS's past inspections and the source of several complaints the Chronicle has received from inmates. The Sheriff's Office blames the problem on staffing issues. "Due to our need to ensure we maintain the staff-to-inmate ratio in housing, additional staff have not always been available to conduct recreation," a TCSO press release said. "We will continue to work on scheduling to accommodate this requirement."

Meanwhile, Kerklotz commended TCSO on their efforts to bring the jails up to state certification standards. "The Travis County Jail has made great strides and are aggressively pursuing re-certification," Kerklotz wrote. "Keep up the good work."