After years of back and forth, Travis County is taking a small step to provide lawyers for low-income people accused of crimes. A program known as “counsel at first appearance” started in a limited capacity Tuesday, with the county providing lawyers at the downtown court this week to defendants who can’t afford legal representation. The […]
Travis County jail
The county detention facility, located in Travis County.
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County Diversion Center moves forward
The Travis County jail system is the single largest mental health care provider in the county area, and arrests across all categories have been rising since 2021. Since 2023, the Travis County Commissioners Court – in an effort spearheaded by County Judge Andy Brown – has sought to construct a mental health diversion center to […]
Posted inPublic Health
Incarcerated Travis County residents at drastically higher risk of accidental overdose death
People who have been incarcerated in Travis County die of accidental overdoses at drastically higher rates than the overall population, according to new data. On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court held a news conference in conjunction with the Travis County Sheriff’s Office and county public health experts to address a new report released by […]
Posted inPublic Safety
City and county join forces for mental health diversion center plan
The words of Travis County Judge Andy Brown reflect the disturbing reality that, right now, the county jail is the largest mental health facility in the county for people who have needs that would be better addressed with other resources, instead of the extended suffering of incarceration. “Providing people with the services they need – […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County’s program to provide lawyers at its downtown jail is (still) on hold
The first court hearing is often the most crucial for people accused of a crime in Travis County. When defendants are booked downtown, they’re charged and given options on how to get out of jail. In some cases, the first hearing determines whether someone spends a few hours locked up or days – even weeks. […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Growing jail populace in Travis County, review finds
The Travis County jail population is increasing, according to a recent report from Justice Planning. The uptick is largely due to increases in the number of first- and second-degree felony charges and the average length of stay for those bookings. The jail population is currently about 2,100, up from a low of about 1,400 last year. “You […]
Posted inTravis County
Travis County launched a program to provide lawyers at the county jail. It lasted nine days.
A pilot program to provide legal representation to people in custody at the Travis County Jail had to be put on hold after just nine days because of staffing shortages. The grant-funded program was part of a Texas A&M study to examine the benefit of providing legal counsel to people accused of crimes immediately after their arrest […]
Posted inPublic Health
County seeks to expand mental health care for those facing incarceration
Nearly 20 percent of inmates booked into Travis County jails in September 2021 needed mental health treatment, but a month after their incarceration, only a third of them were receiving the needed treatment. That was the conclusion reached by Dr. Steve Strakowski, associate vice president for regional mental health at Dell Medical School, who examined the planning […]
Posted inPublic Safety
County looks to Sobering Center to house jail-diversion program
On Thursday, the Travis County Commissioners Court convened a working group meeting to receive the findings of a feasibility study regarding the potential combination of a criminal justice/mental health diversion program with the Austin-Travis County Sobering Center. The county commissioned the study to ascertain whether saving costs on the diversion program by coupling it with […]
Posted inTravis County
County staffers update commissioners on the jail plan resolution
Last Tuesday’s Commissioners Court session focused on the future of the women’s jail. The Planning and Budget Office reported on the June 15 resolution, which asked county staff for strategies to reduce the number of incarcerated women and enhance jail services with diversion programs and other reforms. The resolution also prohibits any new activity in county […]
Posted inPublic Safety
County votes to decommission 48 jail beds
Travis County commissioners unanimously approved a resolution on Oct. 12 to decommission and remove 48 beds from Building 250 in the Travis County Correctional Complex in Del Valle. The building will continue to exist and be operated by the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, but will no longer house pre-release inmates from a state program. The CC Baker […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Discussion continues on RFID tracking systems in county jails
During Tuesday’s meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, commissioners deliberated on a potential $4.3 million investment in a radio-frequency identification wristband tracking system for the county jails. While County Judge Andy Brown raised questions about whether the hefty price tag was market-rate, other commissioners asserted a vote of approval would simply free up money, giving […]