West Texas private prison to shut down after Tarrant County ends contract to outsource prisoners

A West Texas private prison that holds jail detainees from Tarrant and Harris counties is set to shut down at the end of September, months after the prison failed a state inspection without informing its clients.

KERA was the first to report on safety violations at the Giles W. Dalby Correctional Facility in Garza County, about 40 miles outside Lubbock.

Although the prison passed a later reinspection , Tarrant decided to end its contract early. Elected officials and staff said Dalby never told them about the violations. Officials in Harris County said they weren't informed either but kept the contract in place.

Tarrant County commissioners set the contract's end date for September 30 – the same day the prison is now expected to shut down.

Management & Training Corporation is Dalby's parent company. The end of Tarrant County's contract, and uncertain contract renewal talks with Harris County, led to the closure, MTC spokesperson Emily Lawhead said in an emailed statement.

"MTC has been working with Harris County and other potential agencies to create new partnerships that would justify the need for the facility's capacity," Lawhead wrote. "While those discussions are ongoing, they have not currently materialized into final agreements that will ensure the long-term viability of the facility."

Harris County has already begun transferring people out of Dalby, Harris County Sheriff's Office Chief of Staff Jason Spencer said in an emailed statement.

"As of today, a total of 265 inmates still remain at Dalby and we expect to be fully moved out by Sept. 26," he said.

MTC is Garza County's biggest employer, and about 170 jobs are on the line, Garza County Judge Lee Norman told KERA Friday.

"We are actively looking for a new operator. The need for county beds in the state is quite high," he said. "We've got to have a company we can work with."

Dalby served as an overflow facility for crowded county jails in the state's biggest metro areas. Harris County's ballooning jail population has led to multiple outsourcing contracts with private prisons throughout the South, Houston Public Media reports .

Harris County has signed a new contract with Natchitoches Parish Detention Center in Natchitoches, La., effective Nov. 1, according to Spencer.

"Therefore, the closing of the Dalby Unit is not expected to have any significant impact on the Harris County Jail operation," he wrote.

KERA has reached out to Tarrant County and the Tarrant County Sheriff's Office for an update on its transfer of prisoners out of Dalby.

Tarrant County commissioners have approved $40 million worth of contracts with Dalby since 2022. The latest contract provided 500 beds.

The county sent local prisoners to Dalby in part because of safety renovations that would shut down parts of the jail, and in part because of persistent understaffing problems.

. You can follow Miranda on Twitter