GEORGE WEST – A Texas Commission on Jail Standards surprise inspection of the Live Oak County Jail resulted in a certificate of compliance.

Sheriff Larry Busby said the certificate was received the last week of April, but the inspection was done on April 10.

He said he now has 30 years worth of jail standards compliance certificates since he became sheriff in 1981.

The old jail had a capacity of 25 inmates, “and they were always hard to classify,” Busby said.

Classifying prisoners so they can be separated, depending on the severity of their offenses, is part of compliance with the jail commission standards.

The new state-of-the-art jail, which broke ground on June 25, 2007, has a capacity of 96 inmates and went into operation in February 2008.

However, the total number includes 10 isolation cells and 14 female cells.

“When we get over 80 inmates, it’s hard to classify them,” Busby said.

Busby said the jail didn’t get cited for the three jailers indicted on improper sexual activity with an inmate.

He said there would have been a citation if he and administrators ignored the offenses, “if we hadn’t handled it, but we handled it. That’s something we don’t tolerate.”

He noted the three jailers, who pleaded guilty to the offenses, had not been back at the jail until they were incarcerated.

Busby also pointed out that it was the jail’s numerous cameras’ video surveillance that became key evidence in the cases.

Other areas of the half-day, surprise inspection included live safety equipment, admission of inmates policy, release of inmates policy, records and procedures policy, personal hygiene throughout the jail, sanitation, food service, discipline, grievance, exercise, education/library, work assignments, telephone use, correspondence, commissary, visitation, religious practices and health services.

Suggestions by the jail standards inspector, George Johnson, included three officers getting their required TB test. Those three officers were on duty and able to get the testing done by the jail’s nurse while the inspection was going on.

Also, three jailers had not received their temporary jail license from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education.

Officers’ shifts were adjusted to cover the licensing issue. The three officers lacking TCOLEOSE licenses, “will not supervise inmates or have any jail duty responsibilities until the matter is cleared,” according to Busby.

“Jailers are not like police officers. Police have to have their certification the first day of work. Jailers can work till they get certification,” he said.