Deschutes County residents have a financial, legal and moral responsibility for the people in the jail. But the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office says it can’t tell county residents the standards under which the jail is supposed to be run.

We aren’t talking about the state or federal laws the jail must comply with. These are the voluntary standards used to inspect the jails twice a year. And the sheriff’s office says the standards are a secret.

Bulletin reporter Claire Withycombe requested the standards in connection with the $10.7 million wrongful death lawsuit brought against the sheriff’s office after the death of Edwin Mays in the jail. Mays died of a methamphetamine overdose. A video of that night shows deputies mocking Mays.

The standards have been released to the attorneys of Mays’ father. But only people directly connected to the lawsuit get to see them.

The justification is the standards are the proprietary property of the nonprofit Oregon State Sheriffs’ Association. They are allegedly a “trade secret” under Oregon law. John Bishop, the association’s executive director, wrote in an email to The Bulletin: “Making the standards public would destroy their value.”

That may or may not be true. But think about what it means. Calling them a trade secret is a supposedly civilized response with an outrageous result.

It means the residents of Deschutes County can’t evaluate those standards for themselves. Residents who pay for the jail and its operation and have a responsibility for what happens in it can’t know if they think the standards are too loose or too strict.

That’s wrong.

The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office says it is “committed to public safety and accountability to the citizens we serve.” That statement needs a big asterisk to add: “except when it comes to how we run the jail.”

Let’s all remember this next time the sheriff’s office comes around with a bond request.