As I’ve previously reported, the status of the weekend jail program in Comal County has been up in the air for several months due to jail overcrowding. Because of a lack of bed space at the jail, the Comal County Jail has periodically suspended its weekend reporting program. As of now, the program is suspended, and neither of the Comal County courts-at-law are permitting weekend jail as part of a plea bargain agreement.
If you receive a misdemeanor jail sentence in the near future, you have two options: (1) serve the time straight, or (2) do house arrest with an electronic monitor. Unfortunately, you can only participate in the house arrest program if you have a minimum sentence of 30 days, live in Comal County, own a land line so that a monitor can be installed and have the funds to pay the probation department fees associated with the program.
A few days ago, Guadalupe and Comal counties announced an agreement by which the Guadalupe County Jail would begin accepting some Comal County prisoners. it’s still unclear whether or not this will make a significant dent in Comal County’s jail overcrowding problem, given that we have still not hit Summer, which is the busiest season of the year for the local lockup. On the other hand, the renovation of the Comal County Courthouse appears on schedule. Maybe the Commissioners’ Court can start housing inmates there.