CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — San Patricio County Sheriff Oscar Rivera says his jail is past the breaking point.
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Right now, the facility is housing 304 inmates in a jail built for just 230 and the county is shelling out tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars each month to send overflow inmates elsewhere.
Rivera says 36 inmates have already been transferred to jails in places like Comanche, Zavala, Goliad, and Gonzales. That bill runs about $70,000 per month but could soon top $100,000 if the population keeps climbing.
“We need to build a 400-bed jail,” Rivera said. “Instead of paying others, we can lease out some of our own space.”
County Judge David Krebs agrees the county needs a new, larger facility but says it won’t be cheap.
“If we go 400 beds, we’re talking well over $100 million, maybe close to two by the time we’re done,” Krebs said.
Originally, the county planned to start construction in 2028, but the overcrowding crisis has forced leaders to move faster. Krebs says design and planning work will begin after the first of the year.
Until then, Rivera’s deputies will keep managing the overcrowded lockup, hoping the cells don’t get any tighter before relief arrives.
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