Readers split on criminal justice initiative

The Record’s online poll from Feb. 15 - March 1 asked readers whether they think a criminal justice commission to address the the issues that contribute to the outsourcing of inmates at Hays County Jail is a step in the right direction.

Hays County spent $61,507 the week of Feb. 3-9 outsourcing inmates to other county jails – an average of 170 male inmates and 12 female inmates. That number was slightly lower than the previous week, when the county outsourced an average of 192 male inmates and 12 female inmates at a cost of $68,258.

The Hays County Jail’s maximum capacity is 362 inmates, but state jail standards require facilities to hold 10 percent of jail capacity open, meaning the county’s capacity, based on jail standards, is 311.