HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — For years, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office has sent inmates out of state due to a lack of bed space and overcrowding at the Harris County jail.
In a $38 million new contract renewal approved by Harris County commissioners on Thursday, that’s set to continue through at least the end of 2027.
However, Harris County commissioners made it clear they are ready for the day the county no longer needs to outsource inmates, but say right now it’s necessary, with nearly 900 inmates currently being outsourced, according to the jail’s dashboard.
“We must approve this contract because we have no choice, and we look forward to the day we can end outsourcing, responsibly and permanently,” Commissioner Lesley Briones said.
The contract renewal allows Harris County to keep sending inmates to Louisiana jails, including LaSalle Corrections.
Families spoke out on Thursday against the approval.
“You want to give another $38 million more to LaSalle, so we can keep using the jail to separate families, why?” Sarah Knight questioned.
Others are speaking out about mental health concerns and in-custody deaths at the facilities.
“I had to come here and ask you, ‘Why would this court even consider giving more money to a private prison company that currently has three lawsuits against it for in-custody deaths of Harris County residents?'” Kim Carlson said.
“I beg this core under no circumstances, please do not renew the contract with LaSalle. I don’t want a single dollar of my money going to the people who killed our sons,” Carlson said.
Carlson filed a lawsuit earlier this year against Harris County and LaSalle Corrections, alleging her son died after staff ignored a medical condition. LaSalle hasn’t commented.
Still, commissioners are approving the contract after the sheriff’s office officials say there’s no other option to address the ongoing overcrowding at the Harris County jail.
“Because of the lack of beds, because of the maintenance projects, because of all the things that we’ve talked about – basically, why do we have to outsource these people?” Commissioner Briones said.
“The short answer is yes,” Phillip Bosquez, the HCSO assistant chief of operations command, said.
This new contract is set to last through 2027, but Bosquez said that now that the Harris County jail is in compliance with state standards and through their reduction plans, they hope the outsourcing can end soon.
“It would be out of that facility, which would set us up for 2027, two again reduced the last 400, and completely close out that contract,” Bosquez said.
On Friday, the Office of Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis sent a statement to ABC13 on the LaSalle contract:
“The death of anyone incarcerated is heartbreaking. For years, my office has been working diligently to address this issue with a broad range of stakeholders, including the courts, the Public Defender’s Office, the DA’s office, and community advocates, using a wide variety of strategies to keep people safe. We’ve made progress toward addressing the jail population, but there is still more to do, and we will never stop fighting for the well-being of all of our residents.”
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