Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Criminal Law Blogs -> Grits for Breakfast

OR PHONE (866) 635-1838 for Bankruptcy Help, (866) 635-6190 for Divorce,
(866) 635-2689 for Personal Injury or (866) 635-9402 for Criminal Defense

Find a Local Lawyer

Bankruptcy (866) 635-1838
Divorce (866) 635-6190
Personal Injury (866) 635-2689
Criminal Defense (866) 635-9402

Criminal Law

: Grits for Breakfast

McLennan Commissioners back on private jail track after raucous debate

ADVERTISEMENTS

In Waco, McLennan County's on-again, off-again private jail plan is back on after a contentious, 3-2 commissioners court vote yesterday, reports the Waco Tribune Herald ("McLennan County Commissioners approve hiring company to build additional jail," Aug. 14).Commissioner Joe Mashek argued McLennan County didn't need three jails, that they should simply take over the facility downtown presently operated by a private prison company. ?It was the rush and the big hurry in the way we did it that I don?t like,? Mashek said. ?When the jail standards commission tells us that we will only need room for 1,200 prisoners by 2015 and we have jails that hold 1,261 inmates now, why are we building a new jail??Good question.Another good question was raised this week by our friends at the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT), the state's largest police officers union, which accused the Sheriff of promoting the privatization scheme because of a personal financial motive:The company?s McLennan County contract, which pays [Sheriff Mike] Lynch $12,000 above his county salary of $88,000 to oversee the downtown jail, expires Oct...continue to full post

Full post as published by Grits for Breakfast on August 14, 2008 (boomark / email).