Polk County Jail Resorts to Moving Inmates to Louisiana Amid Staffing, Overcrowding Issues

Polk County Jail resorts to moving inmates to Louisiana amid staffing, overcrowding issues

POLK COUNTY, Texas (KETK) -- In Texas, each county jail requires a minimum ratio of one guard for every 48 inmates. For Polk County, that is not enough. Sheriff Byron Lyons says, like many other jails across Texas, his jail is facing staffing shortages and overcrowding, and has now looked into exploring alternative housing options for inmates. ‘She chose to start the fight’: Tyler Police Chief stands by officers’ actions in Brianna Erwin’s …

Inmates shipped to Louisiana due to staffing, Polk County Sheriff says

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards requires "one jailer on each floor where 10 or more inmates are housed, with no less than one jailer per 48 inmates." To meet that, the Polk County sheriff said they had to make a change.

Polk County Jail begins outsourcing inmates after failing to meet state staffing standards

The county has failed to comply with Texas' mandated ratio of one detention officer for every 48 inmates, Sheriff Byron Lyons wrote in a news release Wednesday.

East Texas jail housing inmates out of state due to staffing shortage

Polk County Sheriff Lyons says the Texas Commission on Jail Standards require each county jail have at least one guard for every 48 inmates.

Polk County Jail housing inmates in Beauregard Parish due to overcrowding

Polk County Sheriff Byron Lyons says that his department currently has 57 county jail inmates being kept in the Beauregard Parish Jail in DeRidder due to overcrowding issues in the Polk County Jail.