Sheriff to add job training, search programs in jail

Young County Sheriff Travis Babcock told County Commissioners that he is starting a program for inmates who want access to Narcotics Anonymous and Alcoholics Anonymous. Sheriff Babcock also said he plans to invite the Texas Workforce Commission to hold job skills training and job searches for inmates. “We could get some of these people who have been there for a long time learning a trade that they can use when they get out of jail,” he said. Sheriff Babcock also is working with Jack County law enforcement officials to send mentally ill inmates to Jack County, where they can receive counseling and medication, and to take inmates suitable for a general population in Young County. County Judge Win Graham also queried Sheriff Babcock about coming up with a daily rate for housing inmates from surrounding counties that do not have jails, as there seems to be demand for the service. Sheriff Babcock said he has been struggling to staff the jail and had been trying to recruit at job fairs and at local high schools.