Jail Management Consultants
PLD Jail Consultants LLC PROVIDING EXPERT JAIL SOLUTIONS
PLD Jail Consultants, LLC is your trusted partner in optimizing operations within jail and correctional facilities. With extensive management experience in city and county jail operations and a proven track record of success, we specialize in identifying efficient strategies to enhance operations within correctional facilities. Our tailored solutions are designed to transform jail environments, with a focus on improving safety, security, efficiency, and compliance.
In addition, PLD Jail Consultants can assist clients in jail-related litigation, perform jail monitoring services, and even provide guidance on vendor product presentations, to include RFP submittals and responses. Please scroll down to view a comprehensive list of our professional services.
Our Professional Services
EXPERTISE IN JAIL CASE REVIEWS, OPINIONS, DEPOSITIONS, AND TESTIMONY: PLD Jail Consultants can conduct a review of pending civil and/or criminal litigation related to jail incidents and then provide our clients with our expert opinion about the case. Our services include detailed case reviews, verbal and/or written opinions, input during discovery, participation in depositions, and expert (jail-related) testimony in court proceedings.
JAIL MONITORING: PLD Jail Consultants can perform monitoring services to address the terms of a consent decree. Either hired as an agreed upon Monitor or a subcontractor hired by a governmental oversite agency, PLD Jail Consultants can provide operational compliance monitoring, onsite visits, policy and procedure review, critical incident assessments and recommendations for improvements.
EXPERTS IN JAIL IMPROVEMENT: PLD Jail Consultants provides our clients with comprehensive reviews, analysis, and detailed improvement recommendations for detention facilities, to include:​
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Organizational Structure
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Budget Compliance
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Safety and Security
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Policies and Procedures
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Use of Force
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Suicide Prevention
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Inmate Behavior Management
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Contraband Prevention
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Post-Incident Reviews
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Intake and Release Processing
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Property Processing and Storage
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Classification and Housing
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Inmate Transfers and Logistics
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Support Services
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Fire and Life Safety
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Rule Compliance - Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS)
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Efficiency Review - Optimizing Jail Operations
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Diversion Programs
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Capital Improvement Projects
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Existing Facilities
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Planning and Designing New Facilities.
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JAIL PRODUCTS: PLD Jail Consultants can provide presentation assistance for vendor product introductions and assist clients with Request For Proposal (RFP) submissions and responses.
About Us
Patrick L. Dougherty, Owner
Patrick is the Founder and Owner of PLD Jail Consultants, a Texas-based consulting firm.
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BACKGROUND: In 1981, Patrick Dougherty was hired by the Houston Police Department (HPD). During his tenure at HPD, Pat spent three years as a patrolman, two years as an FTO, seven years as a sergeant, and 24 years as a lieutenant managing operations for the City of Houston jail system, one of the largest municipal jail systems in the nation. While with HPD, Mr. Dougherty successfully enhanced city jail policies, increased staff training and developed greater accountability mechanisms; actions which ultimately led to the end of a multiple decade federal consent decree over City of Houston jail conditions. In 2017, after almost 36 years of service, Mr. Dougherty retired from the Houston Police Department. After his retirement from HPD, Mr. Dougherty was actively recruited by Sheriff Ed Gonzalez to help manage the Harris County Jail, the second largest county jail system in the nation. During his tenure at both agencies, he has worked as the agency's Jail expert for a variety of jail-related litigation. Mr. Dougherty has provided numerous depositions and testified in state and federal court hearings.
In January 2025, after serving eight years as a Major, Mr. Dougherty retired from the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. Throughout his professional career, Mr. Dougherty has over forty years of Law Enforcement and Correctional experience.
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Mr. Dougherty has a bachelor’s degree in public administration from the University of Mississippi. He is a graduate of the National Institute of Corrections Jail Administrator School and attended the Southwestern Law Enforcement Institute and the prestigious Senior Police Management Institute for Police (SMIP) put on by the Police Executive Research Forum (PERF). Mr. Dougherty has a Jailers License and a Master Peace Officer License from the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE). Mr. Dougherty is recognized as a Certified Jail Manager (CJM) by the American Jail Association (AJA) and has passed the Jail Administrator exam for the State of Texas.
Exceptional Accomplishment: The Harris County / City of Houston Joint Processing Center Project: In 2001, while with HPD, Mr. Dougherty was one of the original authors of a technical report recommending the City of Houston and Harris County build a joint inmate processing center and close the city jails. Mr. Dougherty, representing the city, and his counterparts for the Sheriff’s Office, worked through years of financial setbacks, political issues and numerous stakeholder changes to help make the project succeed. In February 2019, the 100-million-dollar Joint Processing Center (JPC) opened and the City of Houston closed its’ jails.
Mr. Dougherty was a recipient of The 100 Club’s 2016 Officer of the Year Award for his contributions to the Harris County/City of Houston JPC Project. For more background information on Mr. Dougherty, please click on the applicable link below.
Contact PLD Jail Consultants
11915 Gramina Way
Humble, Texas 77346
E-mail: pldjailconsultants@yahoo.com
Phone: 713-962-8419
