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(ARCHIVE PHOTO | THE GRAHAM LEADER) The Young County Jail will be housing inmates from Liberty County after a inmate housing agreement was approved Monday, May 12 by the Young County Commissioners Court. The agreement allows the sheriff to have all Liberty County inmates removed at any time.
After approval from the Young County Commissioners Court, an inmate housing agreement was established with Liberty County.
The commissioners met Monday, May 12 to consider the housing agreement following another inmate housing agreement with Bell County no longer being in place.
“It looks pretty much exactly like the Bell County agreement,” Young County Judge Win Graham said. “The one thing the sheriff, the auditor and I have talked about is coming up with a supplemental agreement to attach to the back of it so we don’t have the medical issue that we had with Bell County where they were upset that we were charging a different (indigency) rate than they were entitled to.”
Under the Bell County agreement, the county brought in $450,000, of which $250,000 was profit, according to the county judge.
Despite the added revenue, Commissioner Stacy Creswell raised an issue with prisoners coming to the Young County Jail and being released in the community after bonding out or serving time.
Sheriff Travis Babcock said the county cannot require those prisoners to be picked up by Liberty County and said there is also added risk for the jailers.
“You’re bringing a bunch of people in here that are going to be in my jail that my jailers have to deal with. That’s just a bigger risk than normal, daily activities,” Babcock said.
At any time, the sheriff can request Liberty County to immediately remove any and all prisoners being kept in the Young County Jail.
Under the jail space per day agreement, the rate for space to be used in the jail by Liberty County is $75 per day per prisoner.
The Young County Jail must be notified before any inmates are brought to the facility to be housed.
All hospital, ambulance services and doctor expenses will be billed and paid for by Liberty County. Additionally, Liberty County will be liable for all of their prisoners housed in Young County.
If a Liberty County prisoner must be hospitalized, they will provide guard duty until his return to the Young County Jail. Transportation service will be provided by Liberty County.
In the event of a prisoner needing to see a doctor besides the one assigned to the Young County Jail, Liberty County is required to provide transportation under proper personnel.
All paperwork prior to admittance to the Young County Jail will be the responsibility of Liberty County.
All bonds shall be prepared and approved by the Liberty County Sheriff’s Department prior to release from Young County.
