{"id":264886,"date":"2025-09-29T22:08:24","date_gmt":"2025-09-29T22:08:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/264886\/"},"modified":"2025-09-29T22:08:24","modified_gmt":"2025-09-29T22:08:24","slug":"harris-county-looks-to-close-inmate-outsourcing-amid-high-costs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/264886\/","title":{"rendered":"Harris County looks to close inmate outsourcing amid high costs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\tThe Harris County Sheriff\u2019s Office<\/a> has reduced the number of jail inmates housed outside of the county since June<\/a>, a Sept. 18 quarterly jail data report shows. However, outsourcing inmates at other facilities was still a top expense in the fiscal year 2025-26 county general fund budget<\/a> approved Sept. 24.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s changed<\/strong><\/p>\n

HCSO oversees four different facilities in downtown Houston, with two jail facilities outsourced in Louisiana and Mississippi, as previously reported by Community Impact. As of Sept. 9, the Harris County jail<\/a> was outsourcing about 16%\u2014or 1,388 inmates\u2014of 8,793 total inmates to facilities outside the county or state, according to the Harris County Office of County Administration<\/a>\u2019s Sept. 18 jail updates report presented during the Harris County Commissioners Court meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The number of outsourced inmates has decreased since June 30, when more than 1,520 inmates were being outsourced, as previously reported. However, the number is still higher than it was in September 2024, when 13% of inmates, or 1,251 inmates out of 9,412 total, were outsourced to other facilities.<\/p>\n

Cost to the county<\/strong><\/p>\n

Outsourcing inmates to jails outside of Harris County\u2019s overcrowded jails is the single most expensive budgeted item taxpayers pay for, Budget Director Daniel Ramos said in June. The county set aside $48 million in its FY 2025-26 budget for inmate outsourcing, about an 8% drop from the $52 million budgeted in FY 2024-25.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s being done<\/strong><\/p>\n

HCSO is aiming to eliminate an inmate outsourcing program in Mississippi by Thanksgiving, which would bring 300 inmates back to Harris County, said Tonya Mills, the justice innovation managing director for the county\u2019s administration department, Sept. 18.<\/p>\n

County leaders have also been working to reduce the jail\u2019s overall population and inmates\u2019 wait times before their case is tried, Mills said.<\/p>\n

Since Jan. 1, Harris County has held more than 400 trials, the highest number of trials held by the county in the last decade, Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI appreciate [District Attorney Sean Teare] and his team really administering justice to give victims and defendants their days in court,\u201d Briones said.<\/p>\n

Remember this?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Overcrowding and understaffing at the Harris County jail have led to failed state safety inspections<\/a>, as previously reported. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards has cited the Harris County jail as noncompliant since May.<\/p>\n

The June 30 report found four violations, such as jail officials’ noncompliance with including a complete fire inspection. The violations also included improperly holding inmates in cells for more than 48 hours. Since June, three in-custody deaths have been reported by the Harris County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n

Something to note<\/strong><\/p>\n

Harris County\u2019s jail facilities have about 12,162 empty inmate beds due to a lack of staff needed to run those sections, said Mills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think some combination of [additional staff] plus the continued effort that we’re having in reducing the jail population will allow us to get pretty close to eliminating all of the outsourcing,\u201d Mills said.<\/p>\n

By the numbers<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Sept. 18 report also included other statistics on the county\u2019s jail population, with key points including:<\/p>\n