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| Program Helps Texas Jail To Maintain Standards |
| By KXAN |
| Published: 10/23/2002 |
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Travis County taxpayers can look forward to one less financial burden when it comes to county jails. After 10 years and hundreds of millions of dollars, the Travis County Jail is now in compliance with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. 'The jail system is like a pipeline. The inmates come in on one end, and if there's a kink anywhere in this pipe, then the thing clogs up, and we have difficulties. So we're trying to get the cases disposed of and not clog the jail system up,' Travis County Sheriff Margo Frasier said. Overcrowding has consistently been a problem for the Travis County Jail. At times, the county has been forced to send inmates to Limestone County at a cost of $40 a day, all at the expense of taxpayers. 'It's like having a home and renting a hotel room in the same city. It's a waste of money,' Sheriff Frasier said. The county's new Class C Misdemeanor Program has helped ease overcrowding. It puts minor offenses like traffic violations on the fast track. 'If you only have a Class C, there's no reason why we should book you. We would take it before a magistrate, try to dispose of the case finally at that point,' Travis County Judge Sam Biscoe said. The county's Rocket Docket Program, on the other hand, speeds up the trials of those picked up for drugs. The addition of 31 correction officers has also helped the jail meet the state's minimum standards, and it's cut the county's overtime bill. 'What we did really was to take overtime money, convert that to regular employees, and so instead of paying time and a half, we're paying straight time,' Judge Biscoe said. Every year, the county jail is evaluated on everything from temperature to lighting, to staffing, to overcrowding. The state commission does not have to give the county warning before they inspect. The sheriff says the addition of these programs and staffing should help the jail maintain those standards. |
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