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Commissioner wants off Waco jail privatization train

After previously vowing with his colleagues to consider only privatization-centered options as solutions to McLennan County's jail overcrowding problem, Commissioner Joe Mashek reversed course this week and called for ending the use of privatized jails, reported the Waco Herald Tribune ("Idea of county-run facilities debated as solution to overcrowding," July 30):Mashek?s proposal would see the county again running the downtown jail, which has been leased to a private detention company since 1999. County jailers have argued for weeks that private companies hire lower-paid, less-qualified employees who pose safety risks for the public and inmates, as well as potential liability issues for the county. The jailers also have voiced worries about losing their jobs if privatizing is pursued for the overcrowded State Highway 6 jail, now run by county employees...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on July 30, 2008 (boomark / email).