Poor McLennan County Jail, literally. I read this article fewer inmates is a big problem the author shares his point of view on the 816 bed mistake that they "didn't need". With a population of 213,517 that actually doesn't sound like a huge gamble to me considering the county I live in has a population of less than half that and has a jail with 337 beds. The author quotes reporter Regina Dennis that the sudden drop in inmates in jails has perplexed corrections researchers and law enforcement officials across the country. According to the article McLennan County Jail needs to be at 90 percent to generate enough housing revenue to cover operation costs and repay bond debt.
The author also mentioned possible changes to the probation program that would place more people in jail or turn them lose. Since probation seems to be the last stop before actually getting in the system, I hope they come up with a better plan than that to help solve both problems. The last thing any county or family needs is their youth in jail for mistakes that could have been taught a lesion through probation. The county chose to bypass Jail Diversion Programs like behavioral therapy or House Arrest Programs and Electric Monitoring Systems. Debt is the county's problem not the decline in the incarceration rate.
