Texas 2015 - 84th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB231 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	84R2206 MEW-D
2	2	By: Whitmire S.B. No. 231
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to certain duties of the Commission on Jail Standards
8	8	regarding visitation periods for county jail prisoners.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Section 511.009(a), Government Code, is amended
11	11	to read as follows:
12	12	(a) The commission shall:
13	13	(1) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
14	14	establishing minimum standards for the construction, equipment,
15	15	maintenance, and operation of county jails;
16	16	(2) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
17	17	establishing minimum standards for the custody, care, and treatment
18	18	of prisoners;
19	19	(3) adopt reasonable rules establishing minimum
20	20	standards for the number of jail supervisory personnel and for
21	21	programs and services to meet the needs of prisoners;
22	22	(4) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
23	23	establishing minimum requirements for programs of rehabilitation,
24	24	education, and recreation in county jails;
25	25	(5) revise, amend, or change rules and procedures if
26	26	necessary;
27	27	(6) provide to local government officials
28	28	consultation on and technical assistance for county jails;
29	29	(7) review and comment on plans for the construction
30	30	and major modification or renovation of county jails;
31	31	(8) require that the sheriff and commissioners of each
32	32	county submit to the commission, on a form prescribed by the
33	33	commission, an annual report on the conditions in each county jail
34	34	within their jurisdiction, including all information necessary to
35	35	determine compliance with state law, commission orders, and the
36	36	rules adopted under this chapter;
37	37	(9) review the reports submitted under Subdivision (8)
38	38	and require commission employees to inspect county jails regularly
39	39	to ensure compliance with state law, commission orders, and rules
40	40	and procedures adopted under this chapter;
41	41	(10) adopt a classification system to assist sheriffs
42	42	and judges in determining which defendants are low-risk and
43	43	consequently suitable participants in a county jail work release
44	44	program under Article 42.034, Code of Criminal Procedure;
45	45	(11) adopt rules relating to requirements for
46	46	segregation of classes of inmates and to capacities for county
47	47	jails;
48	48	(12) require that the chief jailer of each municipal
49	49	lockup submit to the commission, on a form prescribed by the
50	50	commission, an annual report of persons under 17 years of age
51	51	securely detained in the lockup, including all information
52	52	necessary to determine compliance with state law concerning secure
53	53	confinement of children in municipal lockups;
54	54	(13) at least annually determine whether each county
55	55	jail is in compliance with the rules and procedures adopted under
56	56	this chapter;
57	57	(14) require that the sheriff and commissioners court
58	58	of each county submit to the commission, on a form prescribed by the
59	59	commission, an annual report of persons under 17 years of age
60	60	securely detained in the county jail, including all information
61	61	necessary to determine compliance with state law concerning secure
62	62	confinement of children in county jails;
63	63	(15) schedule announced and unannounced inspections
64	64	of jails under the commission's jurisdiction using the risk
65	65	assessment plan established under Section 511.0085 to guide the
66	66	inspections process;
67	67	(16) adopt a policy for gathering and distributing to
68	68	jails under the commission's jurisdiction information regarding:
69	69	(A) common issues concerning jail
70	70	administration;
71	71	(B) examples of successful strategies for
72	72	maintaining compliance with state law and the rules, standards, and
73	73	procedures of the commission; and
74	74	(C) solutions to operational challenges for
75	75	jails;
76	76	(17) report to the Texas Correctional Office on
77	77	Offenders with Medical or Mental Impairments on a jail's compliance
78	78	with Article 16.22, Code of Criminal Procedure;
79	79	(18) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
80	80	establishing minimum requirements for jails to:
81	81	(A) determine if a prisoner is pregnant; and
82	82	(B) ensure that the jail's health services plan
83	83	addresses medical and mental health care, including nutritional
84	84	requirements, and any special housing or work assignment needs for
85	85	persons who are confined in the jail and are known or determined to
86	86	be pregnant; [and]
87	87	(19) provide guidelines to sheriffs regarding
88	88	contracts between a sheriff and another entity for the provision of
89	89	food services to or the operation of a commissary in a jail under
90	90	the commission's jurisdiction, including specific provisions
91	91	regarding conflicts of interest and avoiding the appearance of
92	92	impropriety; and
93	93	(20) adopt reasonable rules and procedures
94	94	establishing minimum standards for prisoner visitation that
95	95	provide each prisoner at a county jail with a minimum of two
96	96	in-person, noncontact visitation periods per week of at least 20
97	97	minutes duration each.
98	98	SECTION 2. The Commission on Jail Standards shall establish
99	99	the specific standards as required by Section 511.009(a)(20),
100	100	Government Code, as added by this Act, not later than January 1,
101	101	2016.
102	102	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2015.