Texas Jails Aren’t Meeting Deadlines to Free Inmates, Costing some Counties Thousands in Settlements

Texas jails aren't meeting deadlines to free inmates, costing some ...

Texas jails aren’t meeting deadlines to free inmates, costing some counties thousands in settlements

Jessica Jackson was supposed to be released from Dallas County jail in time for the holidays last year.

Texas jails aren’t meeting deadlines to free inmates

Over-detention victims have resorted to private lawsuits to get compensation, which can be a time-consuming way of getting reparations.

Texas jails’ failure to free inmates on time costing counties

The state does not track the prevalence or provide guidance on the issue, leaving inmates to languish in jail and eventually sue counties for damages.

Texas jails aren’t meeting deadlines to free inmates, costing some counties thousands in settlements - The Morning Sun

Jessica Jackson was supposed to be released from Dallas County jail in time for the holidays last year. She was arrested in early December for misdemeanor drug possession and violating parole, but was credited time for two years she’d already served on a previous aggravated robbery sentence. With the credits, Jackson was eligible for release on Dec. 19, when a judge ruled she had no time left to serve. But, Christmas passed, then New Year’s, and…

Inmates Kept Too Long, Costing North Texas Families Everything

Source: felixmizioznikov / Getty In Texas, a release date doesn’t always mean freedom. Across the state—and especially in North Texas—people are being held in county jails long after a judge has ruled they’ve served their time. The issue isn’t new charges or new evidence. It’s delays. Paperwork that isn’t filed on time. Systems that don’t move fast enough. In Dallas County, one woman was approved for release just before the holidays but remained…