(Co-authored with Bea Halbach-Singh, Jess Zhang, and Stephen Jones for the Vera Institute of Justice)

In 2022, the number of people in jail in Texas reached an all-time high in the wake of legislation expanding the use of money bail. Much of this jail boom is taking place in the suburbs, where jail construction and expansion has kept pace with a rapidly growing resident population over the past decade. Economic growth and low unemployment should have resulted in lower incarceration across the state, yet Texas suburbs have instead chosen to maintain their already-high jail incarceration rates and invest massively in new jails.

This phenomenon is on display on the Gulf Coast in the eastern suburbs of Houston, where Chambers County officials have been trying to build a large new jail for more than a decade. Having twice failed to secure funding for the jail via a public vote, commissioners in Chambers County have now formed a public-private partnership with a developer to build the jail. In late August 2023, the commissioners chose to commit upwards of $308 million over the next 30 years to a jail and court complex.

This means that the Chambers County Sheriff’s Office, which already accounts for almost one-third of the county’s budget, will now encompass an even larger share of the county’s operational costs, potentially crowding out other needs. To make way for the new jail, commissioners plan to demolish a local library in Anahuac, the county seat. Even if the library is eventually rebuilt in another location, its temporary absence will deprive the already underserved neighborhood of a range of programming—including monthly book clubs, movie showings, and craft sessions—that provide entertainment, education, and a chance to connect with others.

continue reading. . .