At Tuesday’s meeting of the Travis County Commissioners Court, a coalition of people impacted by the justice system, community organizers and county staff gathered to urge commissioners to develop a permanent program allowing people who have just been arrested to have lawyers at their bail hearings before they’re booked in the county jail – also […]
Travis County Sheriff
Sally Hernandez
Posted inCourts
ACLU sues Travis County for failing to provide legal counsel
The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a class action lawsuit against Travis County for its failure to provide arrestees access to a court-appointed lawyer preceding their first hearing before a judge, known as counsel at first appearance, or CAFA. CAFA is intended to assist jailed individuals who cannot afford a private lawyer for work […]
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
Scrambling to fill unwanted correctional jobs, the county approves advertising contract
Travis County just granted the Sheriff’s Office a substantial chunk of money to help remedy its vacancy problem. On Tuesday, the Commissioners Court approved the transfer to the Sheriff’s Office to pay for a $483,000 contract with Palladium Media – a San Antonio-based advertising agency – to attempt to fill the substantial number of vacant […]
Posted inPublic Safety
Travis County honors Sheriff’s Office, in light of substantial correctional staffing shortages
The Travis County Commissioners Court approved a proclamation Tuesday that recognized the week of May 7 as National Correctional Officers and Employees Week in Travis County. Commissioners announced the proclamation before a group of several county correctional officers, including Travis County Sheriff Sally Hernandez. The recognition came in the wake of staffing deficits at the […]
Posted inTransportation
Austin airport passenger wrongful arrest lawsuit on hold
Attorneys representing an Austin-Bergstrom International Airport passenger, who contends that failure on the part of airline staff and Austin police officers to accommodate her hearing impairment resulted in a wrongful arrest and injury at the Travis County Jail, are in talks with Travis County attorneys. The talks may result in the county avoiding a widely […]
Posted inPublic Safety
County nixes license plate surveillance cameras on public land
A minor debate flared up at Tuesday’s Travis County Commissioners Court meeting about installing Flock, a license plate surveillance system, on public lands in the county – specifically Rob Roy, a private residential neighborhood in Austin. Members of the homeowners association of Rob Roy on the Creek requested that six automatic license plate reading cameras […]
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 Safety
‘Corporal’ added to law enforcement roster in Travis County
On Tuesday, the Travis County Commissioners Court approved the addition of a new “corporal” position, and its related funding, to the existing lineup of titles in law enforcement in the county. In terms of rank, the position will be situated between senior deputy and sergeant. Instead of hiring new corporals, existing senior deputies in the […]
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 inTravis County
Commissioners extend deadline on adult correctional systems report
The Travis County Commissioners Court unanimously voted to grant a 45-day extension to a forthcoming report about the Travis County adult correctional system. The report is being prepared by a collaborative group including Justice Planning, Health and Human Services, and the Sheriff’s Office. Commissioners passed a resolution on June 15 directing the report, in response […]
Posted inPublic Safety
County budget office weighs up new correctional complex
At their May 27 work session, Travis County commissioners fielded a presentation on the 20-year road map for the Travis County Correctional Complex. Representatives from the Planning and Budget Office, the Travis County Sheriff’s Office, and the Justice Planning Department presented to commissioners on a range of topics, from demographic breakdowns of the facility population […]