Thursday, January 17, 2008

Properly staffing Dallas jail cost big bucks, with more to come

By Scott Henson of Grits For Breakfast

Nobody expects the Dallas jail to 100% pass its inspection this week by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, but if they've really solved their short-term understaffing crisis it will be a big accomplishment.

After many years of non-compliance with state standards, Dallas County has nearly eliminated staffing problems at the jail, the Dallas Morning News reports, but only by spending more than $9 million last year in overtime. In the end, hiring enough guards to minimally staff the jail required the county commissioners to pony up an additional $11 million per year. Reported the News ("Overtime bill at Dallas jail tops $9 million," Jan. 16):

Sheriff Valdez inherited the jail overcrowding problem, and since she took charge the county has both hired more guards and taken steps to reduce the jail population to bring the staffing ratios in line. Though she's receive a lot of flak for various problems, she deserves credit for that accomplishment.

However, the achievement will be short-lived if plans to open a new 2,300 bed jail wing in February 2009 stay on schedule. More expensive than building the jail itself will be staffing it. The $11 million per year the county just forked over won't make a dent into that additional staffing need.

At the state's 48-1 staffing ratio (a too-high number for safety's sake, if you ask me, but that's the rule), assuming three, eight-hour shifts, the new jail will require 144 additional front-line guards - perhaps 175 or 200 by the time you add in supervisors, travel details and backup, plus administration and support - call it an additional $8-9 million or so annually, as a ballpark guesstimate, just to staff the planned new unit.

If voters want to use incarceration as the primary government response to every social problem, at some point they have to pay the tab. Dallas taxpayers are discovering that they're only barely able to do so.

Pegasus News content partner - Grits For Breakfast

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Comments

Scott Miller Verified

The way I see it, if you want to put people in jail for doing things that may not necessarily affect anyone else but that you disapprove of, then you gotta pay the jailer.

And, you know, build lots of jails.

9 months ago ( Link to this comment | Suggest removal )