13 Investigates found some Harris County inmates wait 48 hours or more before getting booked, causing a delay in the first step of an already backlogged criminal justice system.
The blue chairs lining the intake room at the Harris County Joint Processing Center were more packed than usual in July. But, it wasn't just because there were five times as many people arrested that month compared to January.
But, our investigation found the wait to get to a jail cell can sometimes take days, leaving the accused left to sit, and sleep, in chairs. The inmates aren't handcuffed to the chairs, and they're able to make calls, eat and use the bathroom, but they're stuck sitting in a chair most of the time. "It takes me time to find housing for the people who need to stay in jail and then on top of that, our bookings are up," he said. "Law enforcement in Harris County are trying to do the right thing. They're not spending a lot of time on low-level crimes. They're really trying to protect the community by arresting people who are a danger to the community, the more violent criminals.
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