Introduction to the Problem
As ongoing technology problems contribute to delays in releasing people from jail, Dallas County Sheriff Marian Brown is opting to upgrade the jail’s current software to solve the issue instead of replacing it with one that is compatible with the criminal courts system. The jail’s separate interface, Adult Information Systems, cannot fully communicate with the courts’ Odyssey software, and the district clerk’s office has to hand-deliver paperwork to the jail instead of sending the information electronically.
Background Information
When county officials transitioned the criminal courts in 2023 to a new case management system called Odyssey, they spent $2.2 million on the twin software for the jail but never implemented it. The process of hand-delivering paperwork has contributed to delays in releasing people from custody. On Monday, a Dallas County Commissioners Court committee weighed two paths: whether to transition the jail to Odyssey’s twin software or update AIS to be more integrated with Odyssey — each bringing its own costs and logistical concerns.
The Decision to Upgrade AIS
Brown made clear she wanted to stick with AIS and implement updates, a decision backed by Dallas County Chief Information Officer Justine Tran. County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman and County Clerk John Warren raised concerns about remaining with AIS, but Sommerman said he would follow what the sheriff preferred. “It’s already there, it’s status quo, it’s less risk,” Tran said of AIS.
Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins (center) talks as commissioners Andrew Sommerman (left) and John Wiley Price listen during a discussion about the 2026 budget at a recent commissioners court meeting.
Concerns and Challenges
But representatives of Tyler Technologies, Odyssey’s vendor, cautioned that its courts software is not compatible with the jail’s AIS. If it were, the two would have already been integrated, said Jamie Gillespie, Tyler Technologies director of client success. The conversation came as county officials have called the jail’s swelling population a crisis — something the sheriff is also pushing back on. The Dallas County Criminal Justice Department reported in its daily population emails that the jail hit “100% capacity” on two days last week.
Jail Population and Capacity
The department states the jail’s “total reduced capacity” is 7,119 after factoring in some inoperable cells. But after multiple county officials stated at a meeting last week that the jail was at full capacity, Brown issued a statement Friday evening to the media saying “this was not accurate information.” Brown said capacity with all operable cells is 7,200, but with a variance from the state to implement cots and portable beds, the capacity is now 7,364. County Commissioner John Wiley Price said last week a vendor is remediating mold in an area of the jail “that had been basically mothballed for the last 10 years” to free up space.
Rising Jail Population
The jail population is rising despite monthly bookings being relatively in line with pre-COVID levels, according to Dallas County Criminal Justice Department data. From January to July, the average monthly bookings were 4,824 while the average population was 6,748, the county reported. During the same period in 2019 average monthly bookings were only slightly higher at 5,305 while the average population was significantly lower at 4,857.
Importance of the Issue
“This is a very important issue,” Sommerman said during Monday’s committee meeting. “We’re talking about people’s civil liberties. I think it’s important that we do everything we can to make sure that people are released on time.”
Dallas County Commissioner Andrew Sommerman listens to a budget and tax presentation on the 2026 fiscal year during a Commissioners Court meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025 in Dallas.
Odyssey and AIS Compatibility
Brown said Odyssey was supposed to be compatible with AIS from the beginning. But the criminal courts’ transition to Odyssey in 2023 was disastrous, causing lawyers to be unable to access their clients’ cases and people to be released from jail after their time-served dates. Assistant County Administrator Charles Reed said he believes Odyssey is now working properly, with the exception of the inability to report some judicial data to the state.
Cost of Upgrades and Transition
Tran estimated that updating AIS would cost $5.3 million over five years but would be an incremental and continuous process as her department works on improving individual functions. But Warren, the county clerk, worried that would be like leaving the foundation of a house while putting in new walls and electricity wiring, rather than overhauling AIS, which he said was put in place in 2003. Tran said transitioning the jail to Tyler Technologies’ jail software would cost $6.6 million over five years, which already includes the $2.2 million the county spent to buy the software.
Conclusion
The decision to upgrade AIS or transition to Odyssey’s twin software is a complex one, with both options bringing their own costs and logistical concerns. The sheriff’s decision to stick with AIS and implement updates has been backed by the Dallas County Chief Information Officer, but concerns have been raised about the compatibility of the two systems and the potential for delays in releasing people from custody. The issue of the rising jail population and the need to ensure that people are released on time is a critical one, and it is essential that the county finds a solution that works.
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