tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post5476760345366728175..comments2024-03-25T20:06:39.794-05:00Comments on Grits for Breakfast: Private prison bubble bursting? Empty, speculative jails in TexasGritsforbreakfasthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comBlogger23125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-69413609986527524452015-10-08T08:30:01.742-05:002015-10-08T08:30:01.742-05:00Maverick County Jail in Eagle Pass closed a few mo...Maverick County Jail in Eagle Pass closed a few months ago leaving tax payers there on the hook.<br /><br />Maverick County Commissioners Court unanimously approved to give 30 days notice to UMB Bank as Trustee of the $43 Million Bondholders and the U.S. Marshal’s Service of its decision to cease operations of the Maverick County Detention Center, owned by a Texas non-profit corporation called Maverick County Public Facility Corporation which is an instrumentality of Maverick County, due to the continuing heavy financial losses being sustained by Maverick County during the past 21 months since taking over the detention center after the withdrawal of The GEO Group, Inc. on October 31, 2013 and the failure to negotiate a working agreement with the Trustee and Bondholders on the continued operation of the detention center at its special meeting held on Friday, July 17, 2015.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-48073477077637890712013-02-19T08:20:45.232-06:002013-02-19T08:20:45.232-06:00Bell County: Sheriff's Department Training Lic...Bell County: Sheriff's Department Training License Revoked<br /><br />http://www.kwtx.com/ourtown/home/headlines/Bell-County-Sheriffs-Department-Training-License-Revoked--191076721.html<br /><br />Contact Philip Jankowski at philipj@kdhnews.com or (254) 501-7553Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-72542001395496947792011-03-12T19:55:21.726-06:002011-03-12T19:55:21.726-06:00Perhaps so, 1:49. I think I maxxed out around 255....Perhaps so, 1:49. I think I maxxed out around 255. I tend to hover just shy of 1/8 of a ton. :)Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-5745652228408269542011-03-12T13:49:50.060-06:002011-03-12T13:49:50.060-06:00Grits - you musta lost a lot of weight since I las...Grits - you musta lost a lot of weight since I last saw you! lolAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-83231265240838463152011-03-12T13:31:16.976-06:002011-03-12T13:31:16.976-06:00Stupid, self-serving politicians are to blame for ...Stupid, self-serving politicians are to blame for this, plain & simple. Some have been duped by tempting packages. Oink, oink, oink. You don't get something for nothing. There is always a cost. Why are these sitting empty? Did greedy politicians not get enough kickback money? Some should be arrested for fraud.DeathBreathnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-28974936187023972642011-03-12T11:57:38.781-06:002011-03-12T11:57:38.781-06:00Plato, it wasn't until the market for inmates ...Plato, it wasn't until the market for inmates went bust that any course of action was suggested besides keeping the old jail open and leasing it out. I defy you to show me a quote from any elected official before the new jail opened saying the old jail would be closed. You won't find it because that wasn't the plan. See this <a href="http://lubbockonline.com/stories/072209/loc_467393614.shtml" rel="nofollow">A-J story from 2009</a> which says "Commissioners had expected the facility to generate its own revenue from federal and out-of-county inmates at this point." It's not just "some damn reporter, it's the totality of A-J reporting on the topic for nearly a decade! Lubbock thought the jail would be a cash cow, and instead it was the county budget that got slaughtered.<br /><br />And of course, as always, you're welcome to come down and visit. I'm about 6'1", 230 lbs. :)Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-73478218464064620432011-03-11T19:01:52.685-06:002011-03-11T19:01:52.685-06:00Well, it makes no sense for us to pay to fill it w...Well, it makes no sense for us to pay to fill it with Mexicans, et al. Yah, they shouldn't have made the beatings public. Maybe The Dick Cheney can go hunting with folks and torture them, afterwards.<br /> I'm tired of profit instead of protection from criminals. I hope they go bust. <br /> But I bet we all go bust first, due to inflation and few jobs. Gosh, lawyers are going to hate all that pro bono work.johnhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02808884177035705472noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-21175326617917444382011-03-11T18:23:11.425-06:002011-03-11T18:23:11.425-06:00The new Polk County jail is now a ICE facility...The new Polk County jail is now a ICE facility...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-32222580417895207852011-03-11T16:32:20.362-06:002011-03-11T16:32:20.362-06:00West Texasn vs. the city slicker. Hummm bets on t...West Texasn vs. the city slicker. Hummm bets on the Raider!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-821086080059495572011-03-11T14:34:31.635-06:002011-03-11T14:34:31.635-06:00Never was a quid pro qo, Grits. We needed a new j...Never was a quid pro qo, Grits. We needed a new jail. Leasing old jail to a private was "a possibility" but never was it contemplated that leasing the jail old jail to a private would pay for the new one. <br /><br />You gonna believe me or what some damn reporter wrote? <br /><br />Don't make me come down there, Grits!<br /><br />BTW - how big an old boy are you?<br /><br />PlatoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-87265263711934478712011-03-11T08:06:31.002-06:002011-03-11T08:06:31.002-06:00"leading up to the 2002 bond vote, where the ..."leading up to the 2002 bond vote, where the Sheriff said the old jail would be a "cash cow" from leasing out beds."<br /><br />Well the sherrif can still mine the interstate and other roads for revenue.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-83894093672095212132011-03-11T07:01:13.574-06:002011-03-11T07:01:13.574-06:00Plato/Don, when the Lubbock Jail was proposed, cou...Plato/Don, when the Lubbock Jail was proposed, county commissioners told taxpayers it would pay for itself by leasing out extra beds and the old jail would not be closed so they could lease those beds too. It was all going to be a big moneymaker, generate "profit," etc.. NOW they're likely to close the downtown jail for good, it's true, because the market for inmates went bust, but that's because an ill-conceived something-for-nothing scheme blew up in their face. Any search of the Avalanche Journal archives would confirm it. Look for example, at <a href="http://lubbockonline.com/stories/111201/upd_075-4915.shtml" rel="nofollow">this story</a> leading up to the 2002 bond vote, where the Sheriff said the old jail would be a "cash cow" from leasing out beds. That's how the whole thing was pitched!<br /><br />In the end all that "pay for itself" crap turned out to be a big con job, and you're both right, NOW they'll close the downtown jail for good. But that's because reality intervened to stop foolish plans, not because that outcome was what was portrayed to the voters on the front end.<br /><br />Everyone is entitled to their opinions, Plato, but not their own facts.Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-22403304935752693772011-03-11T05:32:50.142-06:002011-03-11T05:32:50.142-06:00Anan is correct about Lubbock Co. The old jail was...Anan is correct about Lubbock Co. The old jail was beyond repair and could not be added to because it was land locked. The new facility is over 80 percent and that is even with a lot of detainees being moved into TDCJ recently.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10458741052868864763noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-68641977631841420022011-03-10T20:54:21.793-06:002011-03-10T20:54:21.793-06:00Scott - the Lubbock County jail is not sitting emp...Scott - the Lubbock County jail is not sitting empty or near empty. Last time I checked (recently)it was at about 80% plus occupied. It was built to replace an old jail, not a spec jail. I don't want to have to tell you again! <br /><br />PlatoAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-49837608472764983292011-03-10T18:48:53.596-06:002011-03-10T18:48:53.596-06:00Bill Clayton in Littlefield is city owned, and Lit...Bill Clayton in Littlefield is city owned, and Littlefield taxpayers are on the hook for the $10 million still owed on it. It has been empty about as much as it has been occupied since it was built. City has been hoping that Avalon would win a contract from TDCJ for a ISF, to operate in the facility but that certainly seems doubtful now.Donhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16902834245861000386noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-30205847471400938472011-03-10T17:50:13.442-06:002011-03-10T17:50:13.442-06:00Brazoria County is running close to full, but it w...Brazoria County is running close to full, but it was built with the idea of having private prisoners, which they immediately screwed up by taping the beatings. It's a significant drag on the county's finances.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-43766794057083573332011-03-10T15:44:21.040-06:002011-03-10T15:44:21.040-06:00Garza is listed on TJPC's facility registry fo...Garza is listed on TJPC's facility registry for Pre and Post juvenile secure. Looks like they contract with county probation depts, TYC, BOP and non-Texas Probation too. <br />http://www.tjpc.state.tx.us/publications/other/facilityinfo.asp?ID={1570F69C-B456-466A-9D68-B0CA8475625B}<br /><br />It's run by Cornerstone. <br />http://www.cornerstoneprograms.com/html/facilities.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-46658036598513081892011-03-10T14:55:46.575-06:002011-03-10T14:55:46.575-06:00Thanks for checking. They are hard working folks ...Thanks for checking. They are hard working folks there in Hood.<br /><br />bbAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-43069175250576029972011-03-10T14:26:49.416-06:002011-03-10T14:26:49.416-06:001:40: I emailed juvie probation chief Shelli Berry...1:40: I emailed juvie probation chief Shelli Berry in Hood County and she confirmed "The facility is being used. 4M Youth Services is the company that currently owns and operates that facility."<br /><br />I edited the "update" and bullet list accordingly, thanks for catching it. :)Gritsforbreakfasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10152152869466958902noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-89553276813159544472011-03-10T13:40:07.289-06:002011-03-10T13:40:07.289-06:00I think Hood County Juvenile is full. You might c...I think Hood County Juvenile is full. You might call!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-9686008963723680182011-03-10T12:59:53.498-06:002011-03-10T12:59:53.498-06:00Good. We don't need more jails, we need more ...Good. We don't need more jails, we need more jobs and schools.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-44533892548169452222011-03-10T12:53:40.393-06:002011-03-10T12:53:40.393-06:00Ask Franklin and Titus counties how it's worki...Ask Franklin and Titus counties how it's working for them. Franklin County had 0 contract inmates and Titus had 13 on the 02/2011 report. At one time and under another sheriff, Titus had anywhere from 80-100 contract inmates.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8597101.post-45960452630639526592011-03-10T11:57:02.289-06:002011-03-10T11:57:02.289-06:00what about the new polk county jail. it seems to b...what about the new polk county jail. it seems to be overbuilt for a reason but that reason has never been publicly statedAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com