about every 16 weeks. It is something supervisors keep a close eye on as over- worked employees can throw o sta’s work-life balance, disrupt schedules and create safety concerns. Gleason said sometimes he has to take deputies o the streets or bailis from the courthouse to have them work in the jail or transport inmates. Otherwise, it could lead to burnout. The stang problems facing Williamson County are also aecting nearby counties. In Travis County, 255 of the 726 budgeted corrections ocer positions are vacant. At the juvenile center, the shortage can pull sta away from some of the department’s core objectives, specically engaging with youth. Matthew said it is also important to be able to separate individuals, especially in scenarios in which a teen is going through a mental health crisis. With state law requiring one ocer per every eight individuals, a smaller workforce takes away from both practices. “We want to be teaching them regulation skills and teaching them appropriate behaviors and empathy,” he said. “When you only have enough people to keep an eye on them, it makes it that much more dicult.” The juvenile center is more than
address stang, he said a change in the public’s perspective of the justice system and the jobs within it is also part of the solution in facilities like this. “A lot of people don’t really want to support our eorts at the jail,” he said. “They’re going, ‘Why do I want to invest all of this money into deputies and corrections ocers when they’re taking care of somebody that we locked up because they’re a bad person?’” Most of the inmates at the county jail, Gleason said, are not bad people, but “made a stupid mistake” that they have to work through. While Matthew believes a starting salary of around $52,000 for supervisors would allow him to become more competitive and ll his vacancies, as he eyes state legislation that would increase funding to county juvenile programs, he is also battling a similar image issue. “We’ve got to look at this as a revered profession,” he said. “My goal before I retire, is that the eld is looked at here in Texas as a professional service like your medical industry, teachers, law enforcement and EMS.”
20 years old, and it was designed to suit a ratio of one supervisor per 12 teen oenders. With this in mind, the county is in discussion to expand the facility. Commissioners Court approved the rst three phases of a remodeling project costing $82.1 million on Feb. 17. The new design would make it easier for the department to meet its ratio requirements, provide more space in preparation of increased demand and allow youth experiencing men- tal issues to receive individualized care. It would, however, also require an additional 22 employees to an already-depleted roster. Precinct 3 County Commissioner Valerie Covey said while she understands the need for it, she added she is sad to see the county looking at spending signicant funding for addi- tional space to address the issue. “There’s so much more to talk about here than just building buildings and
POTENTIAL JUVENILE DETENTION CENTER CHANGES The Williamson County Commissioners Court is considering a project to remodel the Juvenile Detention Center, which would require 63 new employees.
Total project: $97 million COST OF EXPANSION for rst three phases $82.1 MILLION
NEW EMPLOYEES
new employees for
total expansion 63
SOURCE: WILLIAMSON COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT CAPACITY additional beds 48 NEW SPACE 90,665 SQ. FT.
incarcerating kids,” she said. County, statewide efforts
Corrections ocers at the jail can now start out making $51,000 a year with raises factored into their pay scale based on their years of experience. While Gleason believes it will help
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
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