A Texas Commission on Jail Standards inspector made an unannounced early morning visit yesterday to the Kleberg County Jail and found the facility in compliance with TCJS standards.

The jail passed all 22 different areas of inspection and will receive a certificate of compliance.

“George Johnson gave us a great applause for doing a superb job,” said Kleberg County Sheriff Ed Mata today who was referring to comments made by Johnson, TCJS inspector.

Mata said Johnson told him the jail looked professional and the staff and Billy Woodruff, did a superb job on maintenance and documentation. Woodruff serves as jail administrator.

“I am very happy for my guys,” Mata said.

Mata also credits the maintenance man who is assigned to work at the jail on a daily basis to maintain the upkeep of the facility.

Woodruff complimented the county jail staff and said they had passed the majority of TCJS inspections in past years. “I am happy; the staff did an exemplary job,” Woodruff, who has worked at the jail over 15 years, said today.

Chief Deputy Juan Gonzalez was also pleased with the inspection. He began working as chief deputy last February.

“I am ecstatic,” Gonzalez said. “This is the second time in a row passing since I have been here; I am very proud of the staff because they are meeting the challenge without being alerted to a surprise visit.”

Adan Munoz Jr. TCJS Executive Director, said 85 to 90 percent of jail inspections have been unannounced since Sept. 2009 and will continue to be unannounced.

“We look at the overall jail operations from the time of booking to the release of the inmate,” said Munoz, a former Kleberg County Sheriff.

Some of the jail standards include inspection of life safety rules, classification and separation of inmates, health services, supervision of inmates, clothing, personal hygiene, bedding, sanitation, food service, recreation and exercise, education and rehabilitation programs, work assignments, services, records and procedures.

Kleberg County Jail has a 124-bed facility with a jail staff of 31 detention officers. Currently there are 83 inmates in the local jail and 36 are being housed at the Coastal Bend Detention Center in Robstown.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards was created by the Texas Legislature in 1975 to implement a declared state policy that all county facilities conform to minimum standards of construction, maintenance and operation. The Texas Legislature expanded the jurisdiction of TCJS to include county and municipal jails operated under vendor contract in 1993.

TCJS’s duty is to make known reasonable written rules and procedures establishing minimum standards, inspection procedures, enforcement policies, and technical assistance for the custody, care and treatments of inmates; programs of rehabilitation, education, and recreation for inmates confined in county and municipal jail facilities under its jurisdiction; and also the construction, equipment, maintenance, and operation of jail facilities.

Texas has 255 jail facilities with four inspectors. TCJS inspectors make annual visits unless they hear alerts on jail facilities.