Jasper County SO to utilize extra space to house additional inmates

JASPER, TX- When Jasper County Sheriff Chuck Havard took office back in January of this year, he made good on his promise to increase the fee on housing out of county inmates. Havard said, "The increase went from $45-$100 on new prisoners. If they had an existing account with us, they went from $45-$75."

Since then, additional funds have been coming in that are going towards much needed improvements and projects.

Images courtesy of the Jasper County Sheriff's Office

This week, a room inside the jail that was once used as a recreation yard, has been cleaned up and thousands of articles and documents have been moved out.

Havard said that for many years, the room was used to store records and other items. The documents removed will be stored digitally for legal purposes and historical value.

The room is approximately 920 ft. and will be used for additional jail beds. Havard added, "We hope this will increase our capacity by another 14-16 beds, which is a significant increase in a rural county jail."

Renovations will begin as soon. It has to be done in compliance with Texas Law and standards set forth by the Texas Jail Commission. The department has already contacted the Commission and are looking forward to working with them agency on this project.

Havard said, "Immediately after taking office, myself, County Judge Mark Allen and our Jasper County Commissioners significantly increased our fees for housing out-of-county inmates at our jail. The profit from the fee increase will allow us to fund this project without any burden on the Jasper County tax payer. We are very fortunate to have a County Judge and County Commissioners who are extremely pro-law enforcement. Their priority is public safety and I want to thank them for their support and always helping us."

Havard added that although they will work as quickly as possible, this project will take many months to complete, but will definitely be worth it.