Officials say expansion of Harris County Jail mental health program could ease overcrowding

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas. Harris County is expanding its prison mental health program to prepare inmates for trial.

Many prisoners may wait months or even years in prison for a place in a state psychiatric hospital in order to regain their legal capacity before trial. That’s why the Harris County Commissioners approved $645,000 to expand the capacity of their prison rehabilitation program so that more inmates can get the help they need before trial.

“These investments are helping these people,” said Leslie Briones, Harris County Fourth District Commissioner. “Victims are being helped. Our community is safer. Backlogs in the courts will continue to improve, as will overcrowding in our prison.”

READ: Community Urges Department of Justice to Investigate Harris County Jail Deaths

Currently, about 70 prisoners are restored to legal capacity each year. This expansion is expected to increase this number to 150.

There are 224 prisoners on the waiting list.

“The bottom line is that too many people with mental health issues have been stuck in prison for too long,” Judge Hidalgo said. “The simple truth is that justice delayed means justice denied, not only for these people, but also for the victims who are waiting and needing answers.”

Judge Hidalgo says keeping people with severe mental illness in prison costs taxpayers $35,000 per prisoner per year.

“That’s over three years of study at the University of Houston,” she said.

Hidalgo says that the expansion of this program will begin in a few months.

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