The 166-bed Milam County Jail has been taking in “boarders” since it opened in April 2006, with annual revenue from lodging Bell County’s criminal overflow increasing steadily from $167,246 in 2006, to $267,726 in 2007, and $311,000 in 2008.
“We are scheduled to try and move inmates into our new jail later this month,” Bell County Sheriff Dan Smith said. “As soon as we are settled, we most likely will return inmates back here, probably in the next 30 to 60 days.”
Bell County outsourced its criminal overflow to “the nearest safe jails” in Milam and Limestone counties, Smith said. The number of Bell County inmates held in the Milam County Jail averages 15 to 20 a week of post-conviction prisoners awaiting transfer to a state penitentiary, Smith said.
The Milam County Sheriff’s Department, which also contracts with Cameron to hold lawbreakers apprehended by Cameron police, maintains an inmate population in the 80 to 90 range for local cases, with a steady surplus of about 40 beds, Milam County Sheriff David Greene said.
Texas Commission on Jail Standards’ regulations prohibit the Milam County lock-up from being occupied to its full capacity of 166 inmates, Greene said. The current county jailer staff of six complies with state jail standards serving 140 inmates, the total capacity allowed for Milam County’s jail. Bell County pays Milam County a per diem rate of $45 for each inmate, while Milam County spends $26 per prisoner, Greene said.
Dr. Frank Summers, Milam County judge, said the revenue generated from lodging other counties’ inmates will help pay the $623,000 annual installment for the $7.8 million Milam County Law Enforcement Center, though the county is not totally dependent upon jail lodging revenue to pay for the building.
The Milam County Sheriff’s Department is not ready to post a neon “Vacancies” sign, but officials are actively recruiting contracts with space-needy counties that can move in once Bell County collects its farmed out criminals, Greene said.
Milam County is negotiating with potential customers, but Greene declined to reveal which counties are interested in lodging inmates in Milam County. It has been tough finding interested counties in proximity to Milam County, Greene said.
The jail standards commission reported that as of New Year’s Day, 2,388 inmates from 73 Texas county jails are housing prisoners elsewhere. Twenty-three counties have either new buildings or expansions under construction, and 27 counties have construction projects in the planning stages.
County jails that have reached capacity of 90 percent or higher, and would be likely customers for outsourcing include Angelina, Aransas, Bexar, Cameron, DeWitt, Fort Bend, Harrison, Jones, Maverick, Ochiltree, Panola, Robertson, Rusk, Tom Green, Wharton, Winkler and Yoakum, the commission reported on its Web site.
In Milam County’s favor: “By the time someone gets a new jail built, another one is overflowing,” Greene said.
While boarding inmates has been a profitable state of affairs for county jails with extra bed space, the situation may get competitive between county sheriffs hawking bunks on the Texas market, said Adan Munoz, Texas Commission on Jail Standards executive director.
‘There is a lot of jail construction going on right now,” Munoz said.
Counties not needing the extra income can afford to offer bed space at lower prices than those dependent upon extra inmates, Munoz said.
“It is what they can afford to let the cost per bed,” Munoz said. “Can they afford to let it go at $40 to $45 per inmate versus letting it sit empty for zero?”
A plus for counties such as Milam looking for customers is that no jail standards exist that prohibit the distance inmates can be transferred to a lockup, Munoz said. Harris County, for example, needs 400 to 900 extra beds per month, and is shipping long-term inmates to Louisiana. Milam County could be receiving Harris County inmates, Munoz said.
One option to Milam County is contracting to house federal prisoners, and jail officials are studying the myriad of regulations that accompany such agreements, Greene said.
