Ultra-low-cost jails are becoming the thing, sad as that is. This short article is very informative regardless of the context. For example, fire alarms are essential.
Dick
Tent City Awaits Final Approval
Aug 24, 2007 01:34 PM EDT
Reported By: Anabel Marquez
Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio almost heard something he's been waiting on, for months: The approval of the Cameron County Tent Jail.
"We're very proud. We've been working so hard to make this happen," the sheriff said, moments before state inspectors denied its' approval.
After spending a couple of days in Olmito, officers from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards returned to Austin on Thursday.
But before leaving, they asked for additional changes.
"The occupancy of the jail will not be approved it's not up to standards," said Adan Muñoz, the commission's executive director.
The 15' x 18' tent has rows of bunk beds which can accommodate 32 inmates, right outside the jail. It was built by non-violent offenders.
But Muñoz said there's been a series of problems with the tent.
"It's not anything that other jails have tried to explore because of the expense and because it's a temporary thing," he told Action 4 News.
The state will only allow this tent to be up for a maximum of three years.
So why would time and money be spent on this tent if it could only be used a few years?
"Because a lot of things can happen in three years," said the sheriff. "The law can change and say 'you can keep it another five years.' We know about the three year limit but the tent can also serve for different purposes."
Earlier in the week, inspectors told the sheriff he needed to add fire alarms in the restroom.
In a couple of hours, that got done.
Then they said, the sheriff needed to add a door to the restroom.
Done.
They later asked for netting to be placed in the back of the tent to avoid residents from seeing the inmates.
Completed.
And they also asked for something to be done about water seeping out from a nearby drainage.
And soon enough, sandbags were placed around it.
But even after fulfilling all those requirements state inspectors returned Thursday and said it was still not ready.
Why?
They cited the lighting inside the tent as "hazardous," going as far as describing it's appearance as that of a circus tent.
State inspectors asked for the wiring to be covered up with conduit before finally approving it.
And The sheriff is not giving up.
"We can see the finish line...that's not gonna' take us long to do."
As far as how much this tent is costing, Sheriff Lucio wouldn't tell Action 4 News.
But he said the money to put it up didn't come out of taxpayer's pockets.
Instead, Sheriff Lucio said it was paid for, by funds out of the commissary budget.
Copyright 2000 - 2007 WorldNow and KGBT
The Move Outdoors
KGBT4
Aug 29, 2007 09:33 AM
It's moving day at the Carrizales Rucker Detention Center. With personal belongings in hand, about a dozen non-violent inmates wearing their trade-mark blue uniforms make their way to a holding center before the permanent move into a new, bar-free home.
The military-style tent is where hot check writers to dead beat dads will serve out the remainder of their time.
Minor corrections to wiring and plumbing paved the way for the approval from the state. But before moving in, they're speaking out!
County inmates, serving time in an outdoor tent for the first time in Texas history, share with Action 4 News how they feel.
"It's something that's different for most of us," says Ray Rodriguez.
Different with its 32 military style bunk beds, Ray Rodriguez calls it one step closer to freedom.
"I would definitely rather be out there than in here...Less restrictions for one."
But don't think this will be an unsecured area. Sheriff Omar Lucio says he'll have guards on watch and a barbed wire perimeter fence keeping the inmates on the inside.
"I think we came up with what I consider a top of the line tent out here," says Lucio.
The 60-thousand dollar facility cost tax payers nothing. The sheriff says profits from the commissary made it happen.
Inmates will work on the outdoor farm, which is a primary reason for the project getting the green light.
As for Ray, the setting he says is the best way to spend his final days in the slammer.
Believe it or not, tent number two may not be far behind.
The sheriff says if things go off without a hitch, as he expects, he'll look to further the program to free up more valuable jail cells for the violent offenders.
11 inmates move into new jail extension [tent city South Texas]
The Brownsville Herald ^ | August 27, 2007 | LAURA B. MARTINEZ
OLMITO — The Cameron County Sheriff’s Department received approval on Monday to move nonviolent offenders into an army-style tent at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center.
Adan Muñoz, director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, said he faxed over a letter to the sheriff’s department and county judge on Monday giving approval to open the facility after he received photographs indicating the problems had been corrected.
“It got approved by the city of Brownsville, so if the city of Brownsville is good with it, that’s what I have to rely on,’” Muñoz said in a phone interview from Austin.
The approval came four days after sheriff’s officials were told an exposed electrical wire inside the tent needed to be covered before the TCJS would approve it for use. Late Monday afternoon, the sheriff’s department moved 11 inmates inside the tent, which was constructed to house 32 inmates.
Inside plastic bags, each carried their personal belongings, such as books and Bibles that they later placed inside plastic storage containers.
Sheriff Omar Lucio said Cameron County is the first in the state to use such a tent.
“It’s history,” the sheriff said.
Inmates in the tent chose to be there, Lucio said, adding that some who wanted to stay in the tent could not qualify because of the offense they committed.
“These are the people that are out there working in the community. These are good people…everybody makes mistakes,” the sheriff said.
Luis Sanchez, 27, of San Benito is one of the new tenants of the tent. Sanchez, who is serving time for failure to pay child support, will spend the remaining 20 days of his 80 days sentence inside the tent.
“It’s better than being inside. We have more freedom out here and we are away from all the gang members,” Sanchez said. “We are not criminals. We are just here for little misdemeanors. I think it’s going to be pretty fun being out here, trying something new.”
One guard will watch over the 11 inmates who will use the tent mainly for sleeping purposes, authorities said. The remaining time will be spent working in the farm area and other parts of the county where their help is needed.
A recreation hall and bathroom facilities are located adjacent to the tent. The entire area is fenced in so even if someone tried to escape they could go anywhere, Capt. George Garcia said.
Muñoz said the TCJS will do routine and surprise checks at the facility to ensure it remains in compliance.
“That will be part of our facilities that we will have to inspect now,” Muñoz said.
The tent was initially erected in December 2006; state officials asked Lucio earlier this year to take it down after they say he failed to ask for permission from the TCJS.
Tent city jail fails inspection
By JOSÉ BORJÓN, The Brownsville Herald
August 23, 2007 - 3:02PM
A tent city jail built at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center in Olmito failed an inspection Thursday morning.
City of Brownsville building inspectors in conjunction with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards did not allow the outdoor jail to open.
Evaristo Gamez, director of the city’s Building Inspection Department, and Adan Muñoz, Texas Commission on Jail Standards’ executive director, told Sheriff Omar Lucio that before the tent city can open a flexible conduit must cover an exposed electrical wire that runs along the top of the tent through the inside.
“Occupancy of the jail will not be approved,” Muñoz said. “A conduit has to be covered,” referring to the exposed electrical wire.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspected the Olmito jail Wednesday and offered some recommendations, which most were in place by early Thursday.
“Yesterday we found some minor things that needed improvement,” Muñoz said.
Those included, putting up a door for the bathroom to prevent inmates from exposing themselves, setting up smoke detectors inside the tent and a drainage ditch to prevent water from seeping into the tent.
The door and smoke detectors were installed sometime Wednesday afternoon.
Muñoz said his biggest concern was the exposed wire that ran along the top of the tent through the inside, however, he left the final decision to the inspectors from the city.
“If the city says it’s OK, I’m going to take it,” Muñoz said.
However, city inspectors did not give the tent city the green light and asked staff at the Olmito jail to go comply with all recommendations.
“It’s looking great,” Lucio said of the tent city. “I want to thank these people for coming over, they came up with some suggestions, which we will follow.”
Lucio said staff at the jail worked until 9 p.m. Wednesday to comply with the first set of recommendations.
The sheriff said that all new recommendations, including the conduit would be in place by 3 p.m. today.
Muñoz said he would not have to re-inspect the jail, and that pictures of the changes could be e-mailed to him and he would sign off to allow it for occupancy.
Nearly three dozen non-violent inmates, who face misdemeanor charges and also known as trustees, will be housed in the tent city which is equipped with air conditioning, an indoor gazebo to eat and bathrooms.
The tent first went up in December 2006; however, state officials asked Lucio earlier this year to bring it down after they say he failed to ask for permission from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
The tent was then re-erected in mid-February after Lucio filed proper paperwork with the state.
For his part Lucio said staff at the jail would do whatever is needed to comply, and have the tent up and running as soon as possible.