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Commissioner Mashek calls for county to take back downtown jail
The McLennan County Commissioners Court engaged in lively discussion today about the county’s jail overcowding situation, and Pct. 3 Commissioner Joe Mashek called for the county to resume control of the downtown jail, thereby gaining additional time and space to explore other options.
The downtown jail is currently operated privately by Community Education Centers. While this contract is set to expire on Oct. 1, a clause in the contract allows McLennan County to resume control of this facility by giving 10 days notice.
Mashek said doing this would give the county an additional four- to five-year window to “explore other options and make a sound decision.”
This would put plans to construct a new 1,000 bed jail on hold.
About 40-50 uniformed jailers attended the commissioner’s meeting.
Mashek said these county employees deserve a quick resolution to the jail debate because they’ve been fearful for their jobs.
One option previously presented involves allowing a private company, such as Community Education Centers, to take over all of the county jail operations.
This plan has been opposed by the jailers, who say the standards of private companies are not as strong, and that pay rates and benefits for employees are also lower, resulting in fewer applicants for jailer positions.
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Comments
By J.D. Vasser
July 29, 2008 5:24 PM | Link to this
I personally attended this meeting and I cannot believe how misinformed our county officials are in regards to prisoner population and it’s projected growth,along with the actual dollar amounts it costs to run our county’s jails. Judge Lewis took his numbers from CEC, who claims Mclennan County will see about a 2000 inmate increase over the next 5 years. Commissioner Mashek said that the Texas Jail Commission projected more like 150 inmates and that they are the people who regulate our jails in the state of Texas.Why don’t we look at the real numbers,not some inflated figure from a “Prison for Profit” company like CEC.I just don’t see how you can proceed with the idea of privitization when you don’t have the factual numbers and real costs to the county and I also find it odd that the thirteen other companies sought out in this bid process didn’t even respond with their figures.How do you justify building a thousand bed jail,when you already have the downtown jail,which is bought and paid for and is able to accept the county’s current overflow of inmates from the highway 6 jail for at least the next 3 to 5 years? Why are alternatives to incarceration not top priority, when it is obvious our county cannot afford to build a jail big enough to handle the large number of inmates that continue to overflow our jails?
By KAHUNA
July 29, 2008 10:33 PM | Link to this
It’s very easy to see why certain Commissioners and The County Judge would love to see a private vendor come in and build a new 1000 bed facility. Building this facility requires Large money contracts with large companies. Concrete companies, Electrician unions, Supply companies, Roofing companies, Large scale Construction companies, Etc. Etc. Etc. And who decides which companies and vendors receive these contracts? The Commissioners and The County Judge. And who stands to gain financially (whether up front or under the table) by rewarding these contracts? The Commissioners and County Judge. Funny how they are pushing to privatize the jail without really needing to. And not to mention the Sheriff who has not only been missing from all of these meetings concerning the welfare and future of HIS OWN EMPLOYEES, he also stands to gain financially from such a deal. He already receives 12,000 additional dollars a year on top of his 80,000+ salary as part of the current deal with CEC (the vendor now running the downtown jail). I wonder how much he could get with 2300 beds instead of just 300? Hmm. I’m curious how the voters will see his actions and the actions of the others in question, come election time in November? See ya at the polls.
By Former MSO Employee
July 29, 2008 11:59 PM | Link to this
The problem with the overcrowding of the jail is nothing new. This has been a problem for over 10+ years. Maybe if the commissioners quit giving themselves the 10-14% payraises everytime they turned around, the issues regarding the costs of running HWY 6 jail would not be a problem. Oh, lets not forget the salary of our ‘illustrious MIA’ Sheriff!!! I agree with Kahuna, it would be interesting to see how the elections come out in November! I know I’m not voting for those currently in office!
By Former MSO Employee
July 30, 2008 12:00 AM | Link to this
The problem with the overcrowding of the jail is nothing new. This has been a problem for over 10+ years. Maybe if the commissioners quit giving themselves the 10-14% payraises everytime they turned around, the issues regarding the costs of running HWY 6 jail would not be a problem. Oh, lets not forget the salary of our ‘illustrious MIA’ Sheriff!!! I agree with Kahuna, it would be interesting to see how the elections come out in November! I know I’m not voting for those currently in office!