Harris County Ends One Out-of-State Jail Contract, 300 Return

At a January 8 meeting of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, officials from the Harris County Sheriff's Office announced that the county would terminate one out-of-state inmate outsourcing contract with CoreCivic for a northwest Mississippi facility. The Sheriff's Office said roughly 300 inmates being housed there are expected to be returned to Texas by the end of January.

County leaders framed the decision as part of an ongoing effort to reduce reliance on out-of-state beds after months of criticism from local officials and advocates. That pressure intensified following a series of deaths involving inmates from Harris County and heightened public concern about the safety, oversight and accountability of placing county detainees in distant private facilities. The move to end the Mississippi contract followed earlier reductions in outsourced populations and comes while other out-of-state arrangements remain in effect.

Among those contracts still in place is a Louisiana facility operated by LaSalle Corrections, which county officials say has already seen reductions in the number of Harris County inmates housed there. County representatives at the commission meeting also reported increases in jail staffing and identified additional operational steps intended to absorb returning inmates and reduce future reliance on transfers out of state.

The announcement arrived amid discussion of remedial orders the county is managing related to compliance with Texas Commission on Jail Standards. Those remedial measures require local officials to address deficiencies in jail operations and conditions, and the county faces continued oversight until state standards are met. Returning roughly 300 inmates will intersect directly with those compliance efforts, including facility capacity, staffing deployment, medical and mental health services, and supervision protocols.

For Harris County residents, the decision has several immediate implications. Bringing inmates back to county custody will alter the local jail population and could increase demands on housing, health care and transport resources for court appearances. County officials’ reported staffing gains and population-reduction steps aim to mitigate those pressures, but the county will need to manage logistics quickly to avoid renewed overcrowding or service shortfalls. The changes will also affect the county budget: ending one contract may reduce fees paid to private operators, but local operational costs for housing and care will rise as inmates return.

The termination marks a notable shift in Harris County’s approach to inmate outsourcing and signals increased local control over detained populations amid state scrutiny. County leaders say further adjustments to contracts and operations are possible as the remedial process continues and officials weigh long-term strategies for capacity, staffing and compliance with state jail standards.