Marshal Service OKs Harris County's jail conditions

HOUSTON The letter, which was released Tuesday by Harris County Attorney Vince Ryan, is just one of the letters the county has sent to the justice department in connection to a probe into the conditions of prisoners' confinement in the Harris County Jail system.

The letter states the United States Marshal Service, which completed a Detention Facility Investigative Report in September, found the system to be fully compliant with its detention standards and nothing suggested that inmates were being subjected to "egregious or flagrant conditions."

The Harris County Jail system had failed an inspection performed the Texas Commission on Jail Standards team in 2009, but has seen passed every examination, including unscheduled ones.

The USMS performed its inspection because it houses its detainees at many state and local jails. Its inspection covered eight areas, including administration, health care, security, food service, communication, safety, services and programs, and workforce integrity.

The USMS, according to the letter, will continue to place its detainees in the Harris County Jail System.