SAN ANTONIO – Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar informed the Commissioners Court on Tuesday that the county’s Adult Detention Center is over capacity.
As of Tuesday, the jail housed 5,144 inmates, exceeding its capacity of 5,075. Salazar attributed the overflow to a recent increase in violent crimes.
“We are seeing a big increase in domestic violence crimes,” Salazar said.
In September, BCSO announced that the 2024 homicide rate had already surpassed the total homicides reported in 2023.
As violent crimes rise, space in the jail is limited, and BCSO is seeking assistance from neighboring counties.
Currently, 157 inmates are being housed in Burnet and Kerr counties, with 68 in Kerr County and another 89 in Burnet. Housing these inmates comes at a cost, with BCSO paying between $65 and $85 per inmate per day.
The sheriff’s office has been in discussions with other counties for additional overflow support, but Salazar noted he would prefer to focus on reducing costs for taxpayers.
“We’re not without resources. We absolutely could find other counties — again in the interest of being good stewards of taxpayers’ dollars, I’d rather have them housed here if we could afford to,” Salazar said.
Salazar also raised the issue of inmates in need of mental health or rehabilitation services.
“We’ve also got way too many people at any given time, several hundred that should be in a mental health bed, but there are none to send them to,” Salazar said.
Additionally, Salazar told commissioners that around 200 inmates are ready for transfer to state prison but have not been picked up as quickly as anticipated.
According to the Texas Administrative Code, the Texas Department of Criminal Justice is required to pick up inmates sentenced to prison within 45 days of sentencing. If TDCJ does not take custody within 45 days, they will reimburse the county for each additional day of confinement.
Salazar mentioned that while inmates are generally picked up within the mandated timeframe, reducing the wait period to 10 or 15 days could help alleviate capacity issues.
As the jail continues to operate over capacity, Salazar is requesting additional funding from Commissioners to cover BCSO overtime costs.