Bexar County Jail inmates were bused to other counties after capacity was nearly reached in San Antonio

Bexar County reported to county commissioners Tuesday that it bused 150 inmates to Burnet and Kerr counties earlier this month after Bexar's jail population in San Antonio reached near capacity and exceeded recommendations set by the Texas Commission on Prison Standards.

Sheriff Javier Salazar has prepared memorandums of understanding with both counties to reduce overcrowding at the adult detention center, a move that left county commissioners with many questions during their meeting Tuesday at the courthouse.

The prison population was still close to full capacity, at 5,079 as of Tuesday. Capacity is 5,107 people, according to the sheriff's department.

The sheriff did not appear before the commissioners to answer questions about the prison population: He was attending a White House meeting on border security.

But the prison's overcrowding and the cost of overtime required by the facility's staff are well known. The county budget office has put the cost of overtime to taxpayers at tens of millions of dollars each year in recent years.

Deputy Johnny Garcia, speaking on behalf of the sheriff's department, said the sheriff acted to reduce the population to move the jail toward state recommendations of 90 percent capacity.

“They are recommending that prisons not operate at nearly 90% capacity in the event that inmates need to be transferred and housed appropriately within the facility,” he said.

In other words, a crowded prison is a more dangerous place.

The sudden increase in the prison population is being blamed on a new computer glitch that forced prison staff to manually complete inmate admission and release procedures. The state has also been very slow in picking up inmates who should be incarcerated in state prisons, county officials said.

The 150 inmates bused to other counties were all “ready to fill out their paperwork” and should be incarcerated in a state prison, according to prison administrators.

Commissioners filed a sheriff's request for a proposed one-year, $4 million deal with Kerr and Burnet counties.

The sheriff has only developed memorandums of understanding with counties to speed things up, but no formal contracts.

County Judge Peter Sakai ordered sheriff's employees to return with more short-term solutions.

Counties charge $65 and $85 per inmate per day, respectively, to house them in their jails.