Tom Green County Inmate Held 17 Days Past Release Date

SAN ANGELO, TX - A West Texas defense attorney had to file a motion and threaten to subpoena three county employees before her client was finally released, 17 days after a judge ordered him free.

The case is not unique.

A new investigation by The Texas Tribune found that Texas county jails are regularly holding people weeks or even months past their court-ordered release dates because of delays in sending required “pen packets” to the state. No state agency tracks the problem, and no law penalizes it. 

Rebecca Yung, a defense attorney serving Central and West Texas, told the Tribune that at least three counties — including Tom Green — have held her clients past their release dates because of pen-packet delays. 

Tom Green County Sheriff Nick Hanna said in a statement that the sheriff’s office stays in touch with the Texas Department of Criminal Justice “to ensure inmates are not detained beyond their sentencing requirements,” but declined to answer specific questions about Yung’s client. 

What happened in Tom Green County is happening statewide. Jessica Jackson was supposed to be released from Dallas County jail in time for the holidays last year. She was arrested in early December for misdemeanor drug possession and violating parole, but was credited time for two years she’d already served on a previous aggravated robbery sentence. 

With the credits, Jackson was eligible for release on Dec. 19, when a judge ruled she had no time left to serve. But Christmas passed, then New Year’s, and despite daily calls from her public defender, family and a friend, she remained locked up. 

By the time Dallas County released her 49 days later on Feb. 6, she had missed a job interview and lost her state-provided housing. “I lost everything,” Jackson said. 

Dallas County did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Emails obtained by the Tribune show the county didn’t send Jackson’s pen packet until Jan. 29 — more than a month after her sentencing — and didn’t mark it for expediting until Feb. 2. 

State law sets deadlines for TDCJ to process pen packets once received, but puts no deadline on counties to send them. TDCJ receives about 1,250 pen packets per week and aims to process expedited ones in 10 business days, but counties often don’t flag time-served cases.In February, 102 inmates won a $1.5 million settlement against Smith County — the largest yet for over-detention cases. Dallas County has paid multiple six-figure settlements in the past two years for the same issue. 

Attorney Dami Animashaun, who represented the Smith County plaintiffs, called the delays “deliberate indifference.” Without state oversight, he said, victims often go unnoticed unless they have aggressive legal help. 

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards could add a new minimum standard requiring jails to release people on time, but interim director Ricky Armstrong said the agency would only do so if the Legislature passes a law or a member of the public formally requests it. TDCJ is launching a new online pen-packet portal (with Dallas County as the first pilot site) that it hopes will go live by the end of March and speed up the process. The agency also plans to start asking counties to flag “time-served” cases. 

Republican state Sen. Pete Flores said the issue is “being looked into and addressed,” but offered no details. 

Since leaving jail, Jackson has found a new job and is staying with friends. She is preparing a lawsuit against Dallas County for the 49 days she was unlawfully held. 

Adapted with local emphasis by San Angelo LIVE!

Original reporting by Ayden Runnels and Alex Nguyen, The Texas Tribune. Read the full story here: https://www.texastribune.org/2026/03/19/texas-jail-oversentencing-dallas-smith-counties/