What was meant to be a solution to overcrowding at the Tarrant County Jail became its own problem.
The county had been paying a contractor to keep an overflow of inmates to the Giles W. Dalby Correctional Center in Garza County, about four hours west of Fort Worth.
The contract began in 2022 and expanded to include up to 500 inmates. Still, in February, commissioners started talking about ending that agreement after finding out the company, Management & Training Corporation, had failed state jail standards -- and didn't tell leaders about it.
On Tuesday, commissioners voted unanimously to give the county administrator, Chandler Merritt, authority to send the official notice to end the contract.
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“It’s been a long process in getting to this point, but we’ve gotten here. And thank goodness that we have," said Tarrant County Commissioner Roy Brooks during Tuesday's meeting.
The vote gave Merritt discretion on when to send the termination notice. However, the action plan commissioners voted on in the past would make the termination effective by Sept. 30 and also fast-track renovations at the county jail to be completed by that date.
“The process of bringing home 400 folks, I understand that that’s going to be complicated and difficult," said Tarrant County Commissioner Manny Ramirez, adding that the administrator's office and Tarrant County Sheriff's Office will work to ensure that happens quickly and safely.
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He hoped the state would pick up some of the inmates.
"The majority of the folks that are held at Garza right now are already sentenced. So, therefore, should already be in state custody, not in Tarrant County custody," he said.
In February, the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office (TCSO) told NBC 5 that they were concerned that there was no place at the jail to house the Dalby unit, and "to bring them back immediately would put our jail out of compliance with state standards.”
NBC 5 asked them how the TCSO would fit all those extra inmates now that the decision had been made.
A spokesperson said that while they can't "discuss plans regarding the movement of prisoners" due to safety concerns, once the towers at the Tarrant County Corrections Center and the Cold Springs Jail are repaired, TCSO is confident it will have space to accommodate potentially hundreds of additional inmates.
NBC 5 has contacted Management & Training Corporation for comment and has not heard back.
