MIDLAND, Texas — The Midland County jail has been put on a non-compliance list from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards following its 2019 annual inspection.
A copy of that report is available here.
Sheriff Richard Gillette says the county facility was put on "notice" following violations in the previous year's inspection, but fixing the problems has been a losing battle.
"We fix a leak here and two more start somewhere else, so it's been a real challenge to keep up with the plumbing issues," said Gillette.
Midland is one of 12 counties on the TCJS non compliance list.
On March 9, the commissioner's court acknowledged the report and took action to by pass a bidding process so the jail can hire a contractor as quick as possible.
"There's an exemption in the law that allows us to go ahead and not go through bidding to get something done right now so we can be proactive in taking care of the needs of the jail right now," said Commissioner Luis Sanchez.
The sheriff's office will need to pass the next annual inspection or could face sanction from the TCJS.
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