Needed Jail Upgrades Could Cost Millions

Shortage of Female Cells Cited

The Fayette County Jail needs some upgrades, especially more beds for female inmates. The cost to upgrade the jail could run into the millions of dollars. The Fayette County Commissioners Court discussed the issue during a budget workshop last Thursday, Sept. 1. County Judge Joe Weber said the County recently brought in a jail architect to inspect the facility. He said the architect would present his findings at a future Commissioners Court meeting. Weber said the County needs to prepare for what could be a costly upgrade project.

“This is a major update,” Weber said. “It could be three or four million dollars.”

Sheriff Keith Korenek said the jail often receives more female inmates than the number of female beds available in the jail. When that happens, the Sheriff’s Office transports them to a jail in one of the neighboring counties, usually Lee or Bastrop. Fayette County must then pay a fee to the county that houses the inmates, which amounts to $60 or more per day for each inmate.

Korenek said the County needs to either start planning for the jail upgrades or budget more money for housing inmates in out-of-county facilities.

“We’ve got a female in the jail right now who is waiting on a bed at a mental health facility,” Korenek said. “She’s been in there for I don’t know how many months already. It may be a year before she even gets to go to (a mental health facility). She’s occupying space that we could use for someone who is criminal. This unfunded stuff the State is doing with mental health is crazy. It’s putting the burden on the counties.”

“The jail is becoming a mental health facility,” Weber said.

“Right, and we’re not set up for that,” Korenek said. “We don’t have the training to care for them.”

In an interview on Wednesday, Sept. 7, Chief Deputy Randy Noviskie of the Sheriff’s Office said the jail was built to a 

capacity 45. But he said state jail standards regarding space per inmate have changed over the years. The jail is now certified to hold 43 inmates. The jail has just four beds for females. Noviskie said he believes the jail needs eight additional female beds to handle the number of inmates Fayette County typically houses.

Korenek said that when the jail gets full, they begin declining arrests for class C misdemeanors other than those essential for safety, such as people arrested for public intoxication. Instead of arresting suspects for minor offenses, officers might issue them a citation with a summons to appear in court. Noviskie gave an example of a defendant with traffic tickets who was sentenced to jail time.

“If we’re full, we might tell them we can’t take them and they’ll have to come back when we have room,” he said.

Weber said the jail also needs upgrades to its aging sewer system which requires frequent maintenance. In addition, he said the jail may need upgraded electronics and software for secure doors.

“I think those are more of a concern than anything,” said Korenek. “We need more female beds, there’s no doubt about it. We’re always over on females. But that’s not our main issue. The main issue is the condition of the building.”

Commissioners are close to finalizing next year’s budget. They did not budget any funds for a major jail upgrade project in next year’s budget. They did discuss budgeting additional funds for housing inmates in out-of-county facilities. Weber did not run for reelection and he will step down as County Judge at the end of this year. The jail upgrade project will likely be a major item on his successor’s agenda.