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Hays County reports record inmate counts and high outsourcing costs; officials urge solutions
Summary
County officials reported an average inmate population of 561 with a peak of 566, far above local capacity, generating weekly outsourcing costs estimated at $132,525. Judge and staff said state inmates and capacity constraints remain a continuing fiscal and operational pressure.
Hays County officials reported markedly elevated jail populations that have forced the county to outsource inmates to other jurisdictions and pay substantial weekly costs.
Nut graf: The jail’s operational capacity—nominally 410 beds, with a recommended 10% reserve—was exceeded for weeks, producing a sustained external housing bill of roughly $132,525 for the reported week as the county filled beds elsewhere.
County staff told the court that the jail’s rated capacity is 410 inmates and that best-practice management recommends holding roughly 10% of capacity in reserve, which reduces practical capacity to about 368. The weekly average inmate population reported to the court was 561, with a peak of 566 on Aug. 27. The sheriff’s office reported average outbound placements of roughly 199 male inmates that week; the county reported no outsourced female inmates in that snapshot.
County officials also said that 40 inmates had been designated as state inmates—individuals who have completed local judicial processes and are now state commitments—reducing the county’s ability to clear local jail population through transfers.
Judge Becerra called the weekly outsourcing expense “significant” and said the court will continue to track the population and costs. The court discussed the operational strain on the sheriff’s office and jail staff but did not adopt a specific mitigation measure at the meeting.
Ending: County officials will continue to report inmate population and outsourcing costs to the court and explore options for population management and correctional partnerships; the situation remains an ongoing budget and operational pressure.
