2010-01-07

Jail For Rent – Cheap!

By Steve Boynton

Let me make sure I understand our current dilemma.

Bandera County was paying to house our prisoners in surrounding county jails at rates deemed too high, so we decided to build a bigger jail that would allow us to rent out our jails cells. If other counties already had enough space for their inmates and room leftover for ours that would seem to indicate that there was already excess capacity in the system.

What made anyone think that adding bed space and extra cells would create a higher demand for jail space? Would the addition of new cells make more people want to be incarcerated thereby creating extra demand?

Maybe nicer and newer jail cells would create weekend crime sprees that would allow us to turn on the “No Vacancy” sign.
Would our new jail be so much better that the surrounding counties would decide to allow their cells to go unused while they paid Bandera County to house their inmates?

Enough said about the problem, now to some solutions: We could, as the current ideas suggest, lower our rack rate and become the “Motel 6” of the Hill Country justice system. After all, we have decided “to leave the lights on for you,” so we can take advantage of their ad campaign.

We could offer better amenities; free wireless Internet, kids stay free or spruce up the morning meal by calling it a “Continental breakfast.” Maybe the Chamber of Commerce could help out by offering coupon booklets for area businesses and attractions. If we offered each prisoner coupons for free drinks at the local bars, we’d support local businesses and increase the chance that our inmates would be back again … soon.

I think we should turn to William Shatner; you know “the Priceline Negotiator” guy. He could work over the surrounding law enforcement officials to make great deals that would increase our occupancy rates by selling unused cell space. Even at a discounted rate maybe we could offset some of the fixed overhead costs. Perhaps we should just wait until some more attractions move out closer to the new justice center. Right now it seems to be too far away from any restaurants or bail bondsmen to make it very attractive to the criminal crowd.