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Agreement finalized with Caldwell County for housing inmates

Hays County
Wednesday, September 26, 2018

The practice of outsourcing inmates from the Hays County Jail is not likely to end soon, but it can be made more efficient, Sheriff Gary Cutler and jail staff have said. On Tuesday, the Hays County Commissioners Court approved an agreement with Caldwell County to house up to 40 inmates when the Hays County Jail reaches capacity, noting the proximity of Caldwell County and the savings in time and transportation the agreement offers the county.

“We’re not doing that because we enjoy doing it,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Lon Shell said of sending inmates to other counties. “But Caldwell County is a good option.”

Precinct 1 Commissioner Debbie Gonzales Ingalsbe noted that Caldwell County’s proximity does have appeal..

“That is a big reason, and it would reduce our costs for transportation and other issues,” she said. 

The agreement with Caldwell County will guarantee medium-security beds for Hays County inmates and will cost Hays County $62 per prisoner per day. The agreement will take effect Jan. 1, 2019, to give the county time to hire enough staff to man the 40 beds, and will end on Oct. 1, 2020. According to the agreement, if the Caldwell County Jail is at maximum capacity, Caldwell can require the removal or transfer of Hays County inmates within 48 hours after notifying Hays authorities.

Hays County Jail Administrator Capt. Julie Villalpando said the jail is trying to streamline the process of getting nonviolent arrestees out on bond when possible and to get inmates’ cases heard.

“We will start up once again speaking with our DA’s office, our judges, to see how we can expedite getting those prisoners out of jail and getting their cases heard,” Ingalsbe said. 

In an email to the Daily Record in August regarding jail staffing, Cutler said that outsourcing inmates has been an issue for Hays County since before his administration began. 

“For a three-year period (2011-2014) my staff and I were able to make Texas Commission on Jail Standards-approved modifications to our jail facility which allowed us a period of respite where I did not have to outsource inmates,” Cutler wrote. “As one of the fastest growing counties in the United States I do not foresee a rapid solution to the inmate outsourcing problem, even with the scheduled new jail expansion. I firmly believe inmate outsourcing will continue for a significant period of time until more bed space is made available to address this continuing crisis.”

Cutler said that in 2010, the jail had between 260 and 270 inmates per day; now, there are about 600.

“We don’t want to send these prisoners out of county,” he said. “We have no option."

San Marcos Record

(512) 392-2458
P.O. Box 1109, San Marcos, TX 78666