ORDER NO. c5~8D
AP'P'ROVAL OF PLAN ONE OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT
OF JUSTICE LETTER REGARDING HOUSING
OF STATE PARER--READY INMATES
On this day the ;Y'7th day of Dctober, 197 ~_tpon motion made by
Commissioner, Let;, seconded by Commissioner Oehler, the Ca~_~rt
unanimously approved by a vote of 4-~-0, Plan One of the Texas
Department of J~_~st ice Letter regarding ho~_~s ing of scat e
paper-ready inmates.
COMMISSIONERS' COURT AGENDA REQUEST
PLEASE FURNISH QNE ORIGINAL AND FIVE COPIES OF THIS REQUEST AND DOCUMENTS
TO BE REVIEWED BY THE COURT.
MADE BY: Robert A. Denson OFFICE: County Judge
MEETING DATE: October 27, 1997 TIME PREFERRED:
SUBJECT: (PLEASE BE SPECIFIC)
Consider and discuss Texas Department of Justice letter regarding housing of state paper-ready
inmates.
EXECUTIVE SESSION REQUESTED: (PLEASE STATE REASON}
NAME OF PERSON ADDRESSING THE COURT
ESTIMATED LENGTH OF PRESENTATION:
IF PERSONNEL MATTER -NAME OF EMPLOYEE:
County Judge
Time for submitting this request for Court to assure that the matter is posted in accordance with Title 5,
Chapter 551 and 552, Government Code, is as follows:
Meeting scheduled for Mondays:
THIS REQUEST RECEIVED BY:
THIS REQUEST RECEIVED ON:
5:00 P.M. previous Monday.

All Agenda Requests will be screened by the County Judge's Office to determine if adequate information has
been prepared for the Court's formal consideration and action at time of Court Meetings_ Your cooperation will
be appreciated and contribute towards you request being addressed at the earliest opportunity. See Agenda
Request Rules Adopted by Commissioners' Court.
2 I'1
Dear Judge Denson:
In addition to the construction of new prison cells, the Department of Criminal Justice
is pursuing other strategies for meeting the demands of a growing inmate population.
One strategy the agency would like to implement involves contracting for available beds
in county jails. Therefore the Department is surveying local officials across Texas in
order to determine which county governments, if any, would be interested in contracting
with TDCJ to house paper-ready inmates sentenced to the Institutional Division.
In order to maximize the number of counties which could participate in a contractual
relationship with TDCJ, the Department proposes two different contract options.
1. First, counties might consider holding their "own" paper-ready inmates for slightly
longer than forty-five days (sixty days, for example). The Department would
reimburse counties at an agreed upon per diem beginning on the forty-sixth day.
Because inmates would remain in county jails for a relatively brief period of time,
the contract would net require any rehabilitative programming.
2. Alternatively, counties with surplus beds could enter into contracts with TDCJ to
hold paper-ready inmates from other county jails that are at or near capacity. This
might be a preferable option for counties with large blocks of available beds.
Under this type of contractual arrangement inmates might remain in local facilities
for up to two years, consequently some academic or vocational education would
be required.
If your county has an interest in contracting with TDCJ to hold paper-ready inmates,
please notify Mr. David McNutt, Director of Financial Services, Texas Department of
Criminal Justice, P. O. Box 99, Huntsville, Texas, 77342-0099. Your letter of response
Letter to County Judges
October 7, 1997
Page 2 of 2
should indicate which contracting option is preferred, and include both an estimate of
how many beds would be available for contracting as of January 1, 1998, and the rate of
reimbursement sought by the county. If either option is acceptable, be sure to indicate
whether the proposed per diem would vary depending on the option selected. Please
respond by October 31, 1997.
When estimating how many jail beds might be available for contracting, please remember
that during the past year paper-ready inmates spent an average of fourteen days in county
jails before being transferred to TDCJ, whereas in the future they will spend close to the
full forty-five days allowed by law. This will add to the population in local jails and
reduce the number of beds available for contracting.
Your response to this survey is appreciated, and of course in no way obligates your
county to enter into a contractual arrangement with TDCJ. Counties that respond to the
survey will receive additional correspondence regarding the Department's plans for
contracting.
Sincerely,
~~) S
(/`~
way Sc tt
Exe i Director
wS/JB/n
cc: County Sheriff
Order No. 25088
Approval of Plan One
of the Texas Department
of Justice Letter Regarding
Housing of State Paper-
Ready Inmates
October 27, 1997
Vol V Page 456