El Paso County seeing an increase in state inmates; jail annex almost at capacity

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- The County of El Paso is experiencing an increase in state inmates at its two county jails.

The El Paso County Detention Facility can hold around 1,000 inmates and the Jail Annex has a capacity for 1,880.

Currently, the El Paso County Detention Facility is undergoing renovations that decrease its capacity to nearly 700 inmates.

Before the COVID-19 pandemic, the county held an average of 1,700 to 1,800 state inmates and around 500 federal inmates in its two jails. Right now, however, it has 2,270 average state inmates and 237 federal inmates in El Paso.

ABC-7 spoke with El Paso County Sherrif Richard D. Wiles Tuesday. He said the federal government usually pays for the beds of the federal inmates, giving the county a boost in revenue.

The State of Texas doesn't pay for state inmates, however, which according to Sheriff Wiles costs the county around $100 per inmate every day.

The decrease in federal inmates means less money from the federal government.

Sheriff Wiles also said that right now the jails are almost at capacity, putting even more strain on the county's jail system.

With the upcoming arrival of Texas' SB4, which makes illegally entering Texas a state offense, Sheriff Wiles expects a possible rise in state inmates, possibly straining the jail system.