Free Republic

A large tent will house up to 32 inmates outside the Cameron County Jail. A tent city jail built at the Carrizalez-Rucker Detention Center in Olmito failed an inspection Thursday morning. City of Brownsville building inspectors in conjunction with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards did not allow the outdoor jail to open. Evaristo Gamez, director of the city’s Building Inspection Department, and Adan Muñoz, Texas Commission on Jail Standards’ executive director, told Sheriff Omar Lucio that before the tent city can open a flexible conduit must cover an exposed electrical wire that runs along the top of the tent...

Lucio wants facility for 96 prisoners serving time for non-violent offenses OLMITO - Cameron County Sheriff Omar Lucio is asking county and state leaders for approval to build a "tent city" to temporarily house inmates and alleviate overcrowding at local jails. Lucio said county officials recently approved converting a Sheriff's Department warehouse into a 400-bed detention facility for non-violent offenders, but added that existing facilities are strained. If approved, it would be the only such facility for Texas prisoners. Department figures show that the four county jails have a combined capacity to house 1,390 inmates. Lucio said the facilities are...