Published: May 07, 2008 01:30 am            

Smith County inmate contract in negotiation

PALESTINE — Anderson County commissioners are set to consider a contract with Smith County next week to house some of that county’s inmates at the Anderson County Jail.

If commissioners OK the contract during Monday’s regular monthly meeting, Anderson County Sheriff Greg Taylor believes the jail could start receiving some Smith County inmates in the coming weeks.

“I feel like they (Smith County) will move some inmates over here eventually,” Taylor told the Herald-Press. “Their population is like everybody else’s. It will start growing.”

Jail populations historically spike during the summer months as the days get longer and people spend more time outdoors, oftentimes mixing alcohol with their activities.

Presently, Houston County pays $38 per day per inmate to house some of its inmates at the Anderson County Jail. Based primarily on its population, however, Taylor said Houston County will likely only be needing space for a relatively small number of inmates at any given time.

Late last month, Houston County had four inmates housed at the Anderson County Jail for a period of six days. There were no Houston County inmates housed locally on Tuesday as the jail’s population was 166, according to Taylor.

If the contract is approved by Anderson County commissioners, Smith County could potentially send a significant number of inmates to the Anderson County Jail. On a single day last year, Smith County had approximately 300 inmates housed outside its borders.

Most of Smith County’s out-of-county inmates currently go to the Gregg County Jail in Longview, with others going to the Kaufman County Jail in Kaufman, according to the sheriff.

Under current staffing, the Anderson County Jail can legally house up to 192 inmates. The actual number of inmates, however, accommodated at any given time would be somewhat less than that number due to classification issues.

Presently, the old section of the Anderson County Jail is not being occupied by inmates due to a problem with the fire alarm system. Once that issue has been addressed, the Anderson County Jail will have a total of 305 beds, possibly as soon as early next month.

Contingency funds are included in this year’s Anderson County budget to create up to five new jailer positions and a clerical position, so the county could elect to exceed 192 inmates.

The Anderson County Jail peaked at a population of 189 inmates last year and has reached as high as 181 this year.

“We would have to hire more staff before we take any more inmates in,” said Taylor, referring to the possibility of housing more than 192 inmates. “I can’t violate the law by being understaffed purposely.”

Three years ago, Anderson County voters overwhelmingly approved a $10 million expansion to the existing jail, increasing the facility’s capacity by 200 beds to 305.

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Paul Stone may be contacted via e-mail at pstone@palestineherald.com

        

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