State officials approve building of new $100M jail in Liberty Co. to handle overcrowding

LIBERTY COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) -- A new jail is planned for Liberty County as officials grapple with overcrowding.

The current Liberty County jail is more than 30 years old.

In April 2025, a fire hospitalized five correctional officers, and state officials subsequently ordered the jail to close after years of reported safety violations.

The jail remained open, and officials said they had addressed many safety issues, including lighting and electrical problems.

However, Chief Deputy Billy Knox says overcrowding has worsened over the past year. "The county is growing so fast that we just don't have the manpower to cover it," Knox said.

According to the Liberty County Sheriff's Office, the jail's average inmate population last year was 200. An average of 119 inmates were serving time in other counties every day, costing the county about $3.5 million.

You can compare that to much larger Harris County, which currently has 8,464 inmates and 1,075 more in Louisiana and Mississippi.

According to the county's 2026 budget, outsourcing is expected to cost Harris County taxpayers $48 million this year.

"It's complicated for transport, getting back and forth to court," Knox said. "You have family members who want to see their loved ones, and it's challenging. Attorney visits, trying to make a lot of people happy. It's too tough to do."

SEE ALSO: State orders Liberty County Jail to close after fire, citing longstanding safety violations

In Liberty County, commissioners approved in December the construction of a new jail to prevent inmates from being sent to other counties.

Commissioners expect the jail to hold 600 inmates, have the capacity to hold 600 more in the future, and cost taxpayers about $ 100 million.

Construction is expected to start on the new jail in September, but it won't be ready for inmates for at least another two years.

For more on this story, follow Pooja Lodhia on Facebook,X and Instagram.