‘Pick up these inmates’: Bexar County sheriff calls for state prison to accept convicted felons

By Mark Dunphy

Updated

5:45 pm CDT, Thursday, May 14, 2020

Bexar County Sheriff Javier Salazar called for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice to accept inmates into the state prison system. State officials have not taken transfers from the county jail in more than a month.

The sheriff said he understood that the state prisons do not want to risk more cases and deaths by bringing in more people, but noted “we’re all in the same boat.”

READ MORE: The latest news and features about coronavirus in San Antonio

“I’ve lost an inmate. I’ve lost an officer. It’s certainly not something that I wish on anybody by any stretch of the imagination,” Salazar said. “However, at some point they’re going to have to step off and do their job and pick up these inmates.”

There are 222 convicted felons at the Bexar County Jail ready for transport to state prison, 18 of whom have tested positive for the coronavirus. Salazar said he was willing to keep the inmates who have tested positive at the county facility, if necessary.

Salazar speculated that inmates sentenced to state prison may not receive credit for time served at a county jail.

The sheriff is also hoping that inmates slated for release to alternative treatment programs will be picked up soon, so the facility can reduce the number of inmates and slow the spread of the virus.

As of Thursday, 386 inmates at the jail have tested positive for COVID-19 along with 64 deputies. Salazar said a number of the most recent cases involved a group of inmates who were tested before their scheduled return to working in the facility’s kitchen.

The sheriff also pointed to an American Civil Liberties Union epidemiological model that said 214 people — including incarcerated people and staff — would have died at the Bexar County Jail if officials took no action to reduce the jail population and slow the spread of the virus.

The same report projected a seven percent increase in community deaths due to the jail.

“You talk about losing sleep and wanting to make sure we’re doing all the right things, those two statistics that were given to us really got my attention,” Salazar said.

Mark Dunphy is a breaking news and general assignment reporter for MySA.com | [email protected] | @m_b_dunphy

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