Potter County Contending With Jail Overpopulation

Potter County commissioners are working to combat overpopulation in the County Jail. 

According to Potter County Sheriff Brian Thomas the jail currently has 618 inmates with some being farmed out to Childress, Garza County, Deaf Smith and Scurry counties to help avoid overcrowding. 

Potter County Chief Scott Giles says that they are having to allocate funds to house inmates in other counties, and they are having to pay those counties for beds on a per-day basis, which does not include transportation costs and personal costs that come with moving those inmates back and forth. 

The long-term solution is building an additional pod to the jail. The pod could house up to 144 additional inmates, and would be paid for using tax dollars. 

Sheriff Thomas says that any new jail project and completion is at least two years in the future.