Officially Back to Full Service After Passing the State's 'Escape' Room Challenge
The Texas Commissioner on Jail Standards met on May 2 in Austin, where after months of state scrutiny, the commission voted to rescind its remedial order that downgraded the Stonewall County Jail to a 72-hour holding facility, allowing the facility to again commence normal operations.
The Stonewall County Jail has been under extra scrutiny from the state since the escape of an inmate on two consecutive occasions in late 2022. The facility also failed consecutive jail inspections with multiple violations reported during 2023, and in November, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) issued an order that downgraded the facility.
The Commission’s remedial order allowed for processing, classifying, and releasing unclassified and pretrial persons, it restricted the facility from confining inmates in excess of 72 hours. Sheriff Mullen traveled to Austin to meet with the board and provide testimony during the Commission’s February meeting.
He informed the TCJS Board that while it has admittedly taken time, Stonewall County had put a good deal of effort into addressing and correcting each area of non-compliance. “That’s about all I can say about it,” Mullen told the board. “We’ve been working diligently to get this all done, and it’s just been a slow process.”
Although admitting he was encouraged by the improvements made, TCJS Executive Director Brandon Wood recommended the board review the order again in May. The commission congratulated Mullen on his efforts and thanked him for delivering his report in person, but with no further questions or comments, it took no action regarding the order at that time.
Director Wood referred to the standing order again during TCJS’s May 2 meeting, briefing the board on the agenda item to consider strides made regarding Stonewall County’s areas of non-compliance and the order’s removal. He further informed the board the jail has “come back into compliance and we are requesting that the remedial order be removed.”
Wood also recommended that the board move to rescind the order, and with congratulations extended to Stonewall County, the TCJS Board voted unanimously in favor of reinstating the facility. With the removal of the remedial order, Stonewall County Jail will be able to operate as a full-service county jail once again. Sheriff Mullen was not available for comment.