Willacy County State Jail taken over by TDCJ

 RAYMONDVILLE, Texas (ValleyCentral) — The Texas Department of Criminal Justice will take over the Willacy County State Jail from Management and Training Corp. of Centerville, Utah.

"This legislative session, the funding was approved for operations of the Bradshaw, Bridgeport, Coleman, Kyle, Linsey, Moore, and Willacy Units," TDJC Spokeswoman Amanda Hernandez's statement read. "This means these facilities will no longer be privately operated."

According to Hernandez's statement, TDCJ has informed all MTC employees about the transition and encouraged them to apply for state employment. A second recruiting team will be on site in July to assist with application processes.

"TDCJ is hopeful these employees will transition to state employment, subject to a re-evaluation of their backgrounds for any new disqualifying issues that may have arisen since their initial approval," Hernandez said.

"This transition is similar to one that took place after the last legislative session when TDCJ began operating the Bell, Diboll, and Estes Units," Hernandez said.

"These units saw a large increase in their staffing levels. Additionally, employees become eligible for state benefits and salaries."