07/04/2026
Monroe County Citizens,
As many of you know, the Monroe County Jail was closed on January 1 after the county’s insurance coverage was canceled.
After waiting for action from the Quorum Court, and with no action being taken, I personally appeared before the insurance board on May 27 to determine the exact reason the county’s coverage had been dropped. During that meeting, I was informed that Monroe County could obtain coverage through a private insurance provider. Following that information, I immediately advised the County Judge and the Quorum Court to obtain insurance quotes so the jail could be reopened. As of July 3, those quotes have still not been obtained.
When our jail was operational, Monroe County generated between $100,000 and $200,000 annually by housing inmates for other counties. Today, not only have we lost that revenue, but Monroe County is now paying approximately $20,000 per month to house our own inmates in neighboring facilities.
We have now reached a critical point. As of today, surrounding county jails are at or near capacity and are refusing to accept additional inmates. As a result, we may be forced to release lower-level offenders in order to reserve limited jail space for individuals accused of more serious crimes such as r**e and murder. This raises a serious question: Will Monroe County be forced to release violent offenders back into our community because we are unable to obtain insurance and reopen our jail? These are the hard and often unpopular decisions that a Sheriff has to make. This is where experience matters most.
I have also been informed that two members of the Quorum Court have stated that the jail will not reopen as long as I serve as Sheriff. If true, allowing personal or political differences to influence decisions, involving public safety, places the citizens of Monroe County at unnecessary risk.
My hands are tied. As Sheriff, I’m not authorized to make any decisions on the budget, pay scale or the decisions on insurance. Only the quorum court and county judge can make those decisions.
The Sheriff’s Office and the county jail have been underfunded for many years. Without a dedicated funding source, such as a county sales tax, we cannot provide many of the resources and services that the citizens of Monroe County deserve.
It is time for the citizens of Monroe County to know what is happening and to understand how this situation is affecting both public safety and county finances. My commitment remains the same: to protect this county (even with limited resources) and to be transparent with the citizens I serve.
Respectfully,
Sheriff Michael K. Neal
Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
