Hunt County Jail: PART I: Cracks in the system

By JANELLE STECKLEINHerald-Banner Staff

The door to the interview room screeches loudly in protest as Hunt County Jail Administrator Brian Alford yanks hard to open it partially.

The door will no longer open all the way, and to try and even open it a few inches creates a ruckus that drowns out yelling inmates.

The sound is so loud and piercing that those within hearing distance flinch and wary jailers on guard turn their heads to make sure everything is OK.

“It’s me,” Alford tells the alert jailers.

The door opened easily when the Hunt County Jail first opened in early 2002, but now, like many other areas of the jail, it has fallen victim to a shifting foundation.

“It was from the get-go that there were foundation problems,” Alford said. “Just like everyone else, you go to work, and you do your job and you try not to think about it. But when the talk’s around it, I think it bothers everybody.”

Please read the rest of this three part article at: http://www.heraldbanner.com/insidestory/local_story_053235941.html?keyword=topstory

The fact that our County Jail is falling part SHOULD be a major issue facing the Commissioners Court and the Sheriffs department.