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Volunteers and service providers urge Collin County to sustain jail programs amid transport, staffing disruptions
Summary
Several volunteers and nonprofit representatives told the Commissioners Court that program sessions for inmates are being canceled because of insufficient guards and transport, and they urged the court to prioritize funding to keep volunteer-run reentry programs running.
A group of volunteers and nonprofit representatives told Collin County commissioners during the budget workshop that county-managed inmate programs — from a children’s storybook recording project to faith-based retreats and anger-management classes — are being disrupted by cancellations tied to guard shortages and transport logistics.
Tamara Sherrill, who said she is part of Unchained Warriors, described how program funding and volunteer time shaped her recovery after incarceration and urged continued support for reentry services. “Having these programs are so important,” Sherrill said, recounting how volunteers taught her job skills and helped her leave the system.
Volunteers described practical barriers. Jana Ashburner, who teaches anger-management and other classes, said sessions have been canceled when escorts or female guards are not available: “...you have to get here 30 minutes before to get walked back yourself to the programs department and have somebody escort you there…and only to find out we don't have an escort.” She added that repeated cancellations erode volunteers’ commitment.
Jerome Bailey, who volunteers at the McKinney Correctional Facility, said the program department has lost transport capacity: “I get cancellations all the times telling me that we can't do it today because we don't have enough guards to transport the inmates to the program session…so that we can conduct the programs.” Bailey and others urged the court to ensure consistent staffing so the programs can operate and yield the recidivism-reduction benefits volunteers claim.
Marty Jones, a volunteer with the Women’s Storybook Project, described the project that records mothers reading books for their children, noting it has provided 324 books and recordings since April at no cost to the county and asked commissioners to support staffing that allows the program to continue.
Presiding Judge thanked the speakers, said he was surprised by the theme, and said the court would dig into the issue of cancellations in the coming days. He noted that the sheriff had been invited to respond at a later session so commissioners and the public could hear a fuller explanation.
Commissioners did not take formal action at the workshop; they invited volunteers to remain engaged as the court reviews budget trade-offs that could affect transport and program staffing.
