Ricky Armstrong had been interim director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, which monitors county lockups that mainly hold people awaiting trial, since February.
The Polk County Sheriff’s Office is temporarily housing inmates at a facility in Beauregard Parish, Louisiana, due to staffing shortages at the Polk County Jail.
Limits on who can be released without paying bail and difficulties hiring guards worsen the situation.
On Tuesday, the Harris County Commissioners Court unanimously approved $7.4 million to allow for improvements at the Harris County Jail.
Staffing issues, inmates spending more time in holding cells, staff not following medical orders, or seeing inmate patients in a timely matter continue to plague the Harris County Jail, according to a new state inspection report obtained by KPRC 2 Investigates.
The Harris County Jail has been placed in “non-compliance” status due to its overcrowding status, according to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.