BEXAR COUNTY, Texas – A mother fought nine days for her son to be released from the Bexar County Jail after he was arrested in late May.
“They couldn’t find him in the system,” JoAnn Harrison said. “And then one said he was going to be out. And then he never got out.”
Now, her son is out, but he doesn’t understand why he was in jail for so long. Harrison told KSAT her son suffers from multiple intellectual disabilities and epilepsy.
She also said she didn’t receive a call from the jail updating her on her son’s status until after her story aired on KSAT.
“I was just surprised they even called,” Harrison said. “This was at 10:30 at night.”
However, this isn’t anything new. A father working to get his daughter out of Bexar County Jail is fighting the same battle.
He asked to remain anonymous for his daughter’s safety and privacy.
“Our magistrate, I mean, to be honest, it’s terrible,” he said. “There are people who have already been in there for 3 or 4 days, and the average person is not being able to get out for 3 or 4 days as opposed to just a normal 16 hours.”
However, families said they just want the county to be held responsible.
“I want somebody to be accountable for everything,” Harrison said.
Tyler Technologies, the company that created the Odyssey online software now used across Bexar County, sent KSAT this statement:
“While we are unable to accommodate an interview at this time, we would like to provide the following information regarding our solutions and the implementation in Bexar County:
We have been working closely with the county to address and resolve implementation concerns. This is a large-scale implementation and the county’s change management practices are following the traditional protocols for a project of this magnitude. Throughout this transition, we are unaware of any software or systemic technical issues impeding core work.
Each jurisdiction we serve is unique in terms of function, software integration, data integrity, and management. Courts and jails across the country successfully use the same system currently being implemented in Bexar County.
Dedicated teams from Tyler and Bexar County are working diligently to ensure the project remains on track and that appropriate training is available for the involved offices and justice partners. Tyler Technologies remains committed to this effort for the long-term.”