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Sheriff says jail bed shortages have forced Trinity County to house dozens of inmates in neighboring counties
Summary
The sheriff reported Trinity County has 45 inmates in Angelina County and others in San Jacinto, that some local days reached seven in‑custody beds and that several sentenced inmates await transfer from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDC). Commissioners discussed contract accounting with the housing vendor.
The county's agency official (S3) updated commissioners on inmate housing and jail capacity, saying the county currently has 45 inmates in Angelina County and multiple inmates in San Jacinto. "If you look at numbers right now, sir, we've got 45 of them in Angelina, 2 over in San Jacinto," S3 told the court, and said several inmates are awaiting transfer from TDC and that on some days the local jail reached seven inmates in custody.
S3 said the county preserves bed space so it can book newly arrested persons and then move them out as transfers arrive. Commissioners discussed the housing contract with a vendor (named in the transcript as James Woonam) and noted prior sessions raised concerns about being billed as if the jail were at full capacity even when Trinity County was under count. No changes to the housing contract were made at the meeting; staff said they would review historical counts and billing to determine if adjustments are due.
The sheriff cautioned that some of the county's bed pressure reflects repeat offenders and procedural delays in transfers from other agencies and sought improved interagency coordination to reduce boarding time.
