Bexar County lays out diversion strategy as partners warn of inpatient‑bed losses

County staff and a wide panel of health and justice partners spent the bulk of the April 28 Bexar County Commissioners Court meeting laying out the county's current deflection and diversion work and next steps to reduce the jail population.

Thomas Guevara of the county manager's office opened the presentation by distinguishing "deflection" — interventions before arrest — from "diversion" — programs that occur after arrest but before conviction. He told the court staff would review existing efforts, results from pilots and remaining gaps.

Antonio Salazar Rosas, pretrial services manager, described a County Court 2 pilot that began in August 2024. He said the program has generated roughly 226 referrals since December 2025; 109 people are currently engaged in programming, 55 have completed outpatient treatment and 59 were referred to higher levels of care or had their cases adjudicated and closed. Salazar Rosas said many services have been delivered through partnerships with providers such as Continuum and Lifetime Recovery.

Dr.…