Fed detainees will need new landlord
Bexar County commissioners to end jail contract with U.S. Marshals Service
Bexar County is planning to stop housing federal detainees for the U.S. Marshals Service, which would also render moot the contract it has with the private company that operates the facility where those inmates are held.
County Judge Nelson Wolff said Tuesday the arrangement — in which the Marshals Service paid the county to hold inmates, and the county payed GEO Group to operate the jail where they are kept — doesn’t make financial sense any more.
At Nelson’s request, commissioners approved a motion to authorize the county manager to begin negotiating the termination of the contract with U.S. Marshal Susan Pamerleau.
The authorization came during the court’s first meeting of 2019 — and the first in more than three decades without longtime Commissioner Paul Elizondo, who died last month. His successor, Justin Rodriguez, took the dais for the first time Tuesday. Elizondo’s wife, Irene, was presented with a Hidalgo Award, the highest decoration for a Bexar County civilian.
The facility currently holds about 600 federal inmates. Deputy U.S. Marshal Chris Bozeman said the detainees are facing federal charges, but they could be held for a variety of reasons — some awaiting trial, some waiting to be transferred. He also confirmed some are there for immigrationrelated violations.
GEO Group is a private, forprofit company that has drawn scrutiny amid national conversations about criminal justice reform, along with its operations of immigration detention facilities.
Healthy for the Glory of God” and “What do the Scriptures Say About Alcohol?” are tied to nutrition demonstrations on topics like hydration, drinking in moderation and eating whole grains.
In addition to the lessons, churches form health ministry committees for members of the congregation to lead each other and implement long-term changes.
At Central Church of God, that has included cutting out soda and changing cooking methods for church events, as well as changing the way people think about health, exercise and nutrition, Montañez said,
“It developed an awareness of the need to be more careful in how we take care of ourselves,” he said.
And because it’s run by members of the church, the changes have been sustainable over the
past six years, since the church first was part of the pilot program.
Other churches have been able to get funding with help from the program for projects like opening a basketball court or making changes to their kitchens, said Wilmoth, who’s now its senior program coordinator but will be seaching for a new job now that she graduated from the doctoral program in December.
The newest Building a Healthy Temple component, the formation of diabetes management groups, is based around the same ideas of tying the program to participants’ faith and operating in a setting that is comfortable and easily accessible.
“The faith-based platform is extremely good for being able to do something that really matters and is sustainable,” built into a message about being healthy, “so you can go out and serve people, serve your community and serve God,” she said.