Dallas County jail is nearing its 7,119 inmate maximum capacity, based on limits by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards.
At 95 percent full, it's not quite overcrowded, but is pushing close to it with 6,750 people in detainment as of June 13.
It had been at 98 percent capacity the day after Memorial Day.
Commissioner John Wiley Price made reducing the jail population a priority discussion during commissioner court regular meeting on June 3.
"For the last two weeks, we've been at critical mass," he said. "We've been at 6,900 — 6,952 to be exact — and we're only authorized for 7,100."
Jail and legal teams have been directed to expedite releases of eligible inmate.
Crime typically increases during summer.
But exactly one year ago, the Dallas County jail population was 6,445.
Price attributed much of the crowding to holding people who have not yet had a case filed against them.
"We've got people that have been in jail, cases not filed, 270 days," he said. "Damn it, you got a case or you don't.
"These...are cases that have not been filed. And we got people sitting there for hundreds of days," Price said. "Ain't nobody else got no jurisdiction. They're sitting there."
Administrators have asked jail and court staff to adjudicate or release eligible inmates.
County Administrator Darryl Martin says cities and the district attorneys office can help.
"When we get together with everybody we need to walk through what's going on with these cases," he said. "[Dallas Police Department] you got 400, Irving you got 200. Richardson, you got a hundred. What are we going to do? What are you guys going to do? Get the judges in the room, get the DA in the room, get the PD in the room. Let's have those conversations."
Police departments are not the only law enforcement agencies depositing suspected offenders into the Dallas County jail.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection also can place arrested people in the jail.
A year ago, one person was being held for immigration.
On May 30 of this year, 22 people were in jail for immigration-related detainment.
"It's more than just DPD," Martin said. "All of these police departments got to be part of the process."
It costs $88 a day to keep someone in the Dallas jail.
That's almost $24,000 for one inmate who has been in the Dallas County jail for 270 days for an alleged offense against the state comptroller.
The juvenile detention center population is also up.
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