NUECES COUNTY, Texas — For the first time in nearly a year, Nueces County is back to allowing in-person jail visitations. Sheriff J.C. Hooper said the main jail and the annex resumed weekend jail visitations with about 100 visitors at the annex and 186 at the main jail.
It was in March of 2020 when the Texas Commission on Jail Standards prohibited all in-person visitations across the state.
The sheriff said they had to create a plan that would demonstrate they could host visitors safely and get that plan approved by the commission as well as the local health authority.
He said visitations will include temperature checks, social distancing measures and sanitizing booths before and after each visit. The sheriff said visitation is something that's really critical for the mental health and wellness of the inmates.
"It's been difficult for the inmates, and believe it or not, it's been even more difficult for the employees because when you are dealing with an inmate population that has that taken away from them, it makes them challenging to handle in a jail," Sheriff Hooper said.
Fighting the virus in the jail was only one part of the challenge over the last year.
The other part is managing what Sheriff Hooper calls a changing dynamic in the inmate population itself.
Right now, the jail is at 91 percent capacity or about 1047 inmates, but the makeup of who is behind bars has changed.
Hooper said it was a result of major cases that are waiting to be tried by in person juries.
"The courts have slowed down to a crawl and for that reason we have over 80 murder offenders," said Sheriff Hooper.
He said that number is at an all-time high.
While Sheriff Hooper said the courts have been bonding out non-violent offenders, it has left a vast majority of inmates that are violent offenders in his care including several gang members.
"I can best describe it, we have a penitentiary like jail population here in the Nueces County Jail," said Sheriff Hooper.
The sheriff said when you take away visitation, one of the few positive things in their lives, it complicates the situation.
Sheriff Hooper said jail visitation has always proved to be critical for the mental health and wellness of the inmates.
"So, I would encourage you, if you have a loved one and you are on their visitation list come see them. We'll keep you safe," said Sheriff Hooper.
For more information on requirements, you can go to Nueces County's website and check out jail visitation guidelines.
https://www.nuecesco.com/law-enforcement/sheriff/jail-operations
For the latest updates on coronavirus in the Coastal Bend, click here.
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