A 192-Bed Variance is Approved for Harris County Jail by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards
The Harris County Jail in Houston put in a request to use 192 temporary beds and in the first week of May 2018, it was approved by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS). For a period of three months, the jail can use 192 portable bunks, which are needed due to overcrowding. This was half the amount of time the county requested. Harris County will have to ask officials at the commission again if another variance is needed.
During this three-month period, Harris County must report on the number of prisoners who are reported to have communicable diseases. The purpose is to ensure that the tighter quarters do not result in an increase in health problems.
The added beds will help to control the cost of overcrowding. Currently, outsourcing inmates to other counties is adding up quickly, with the cost coming to $65 per day per prisoner.
Executive director of TCJS Brandon Wood said that eventually, Harris County will need to find a more permanent solution to handle housing at the county jail. The commission urges that they get a handle on the situation, which Harris County officials attribute to Hurricane Harvey.
The Houston jail at 1307 Baker flooded during Hurricane Harvey, and 928 bunks were lost. Eight months later, only one pod is usable at that location. At 711 N. San Jacinto, the jail is still out 144 beds since the hurricane.
One of the issues officials say has exacerbated the issue of jail overcrowding is that the entire court system got seriously backlogged because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Harvey. There is understandably a lot of potential chaos, considering that the 20-story criminal courthouse was rendered unusable following the storm. Court dockets were dispersed between the civil, family, and juvenile courthouses and the jail basement. Other issues have complicated the situation, including controversy related to bonds.
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