Harris County jail faces escalated enforcement after overcrowding, inmate deaths
Demand for change at Harris County jail
On Thursday, Harris County jail officials provided an update on conditions at the facility. Family members of inmates who have died while in custody spoke in Austin, pleading for change in the detention center. FOX 26's Sherman Desselle joins us to break down the meeting.
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - Harris County Jail officials provided an update on conditions at the facility Thursday at the State Commission of Jail Standards meeting.
The jail has failed two inspections in the last year and is now facing an escalated enhanced enforcement from the Commission's office. FOX 26 has reported on the facility's non-compliance due to in-custody deaths, staffing issues, overcrowding of inmates, and holding inmates in excess of 48 hours through the booking process.
A total of 27 inmates died while in Harris County custody in 2022, and 10 more deaths have been reported so far in 2023.
Family members of inmates who have died while in custody spoke minutes before county jail officials, pleading for change at the detention center.
Jacilet Griffin, the mother of 31-year-old Evan Griffin Lee, who died in custody in 2022, is among those calling for reform. Her son's death inspired state legislation.
SUGGESTED: Man dies in Harris County jail, Texas rangers launch investigation into his death
House Bill 3434, authored by State Representative Ron Reynolds, called on the Commission on Jail Standards to conduct a study to evaluate the living conditions and safety of inmates in the Harris County jail. It passed through the County Affairs Committee but ultimately failed in the legislature.
"No one deserves the death sentence while waiting for their day in court," said Griffin. "What is your plan to make them accountable?"
Griffin said her son was booked into the jail on an "error," and is still unclear why he was booked, or what led to his death.
"As of today, 500 days later, our family still doesn't know what happened to my son. After getting a call from the hospital that he needed emergency surgery. Not HCSO, but the hospital. HCSO has still not reached out to our family at all," said Griffin.
RELATED: Harris Co. Jail inmate with preexisting medical condition dies at hospital
Tracy Smith, the mother of Kevin Smith, also shared her concerns with the office. Her 23-year-old son died in January after dealing with "an apparent medical emergency" while in custody. His mother said his case kept getting reset.
"If you’ve never been through it, you don’t know how it feels," Smith told the commissioners. "I lost mothers, grandmothers, uncles…but when you lose your child, it’s a different pain. It’s like I don’t want to go on, but I want to go on in order to get justice and find out what happened to my son."
According to Commission Executive Director Mark Wood, the latest state inspection conducted in June indicates the jail is addressing the previously identified items. The enhanced enforcement requires HCSO to provide an additional plan of action from the Sheriff's office but will also require the County Judge's office to issue a letter of concurrence in regard to the plan of action and weekly updates until the jail is back in compliance.
MORE: Harris County Jail inmate died after being mocked, ignored by jailers, family says
Philip Bosquez, the Interim Assistant Chief of Detention's Command at the jail, gave the latest inmate data.
As of Thursday afternoon, there are 7,931 inmates on-site, and 1,207 inmates have been outsourced to three different facilities seven in other counties. There are also 250 inmates in the processing building in the Joint Processing Center.
Bosquez said there is a reduction in the number of inmates experiencing delays in the booking process and placed in holding cells. For July, under one percent of the jail population waited beyond 48 hours to be processed. Out of the 3,000 plus inmates housed, only 11 inmates waited over the 48-hour processing period.
He said the jail meets weekly with their medical and mental health vendors in the county to refine the process, but also says the delays are multi-faceted. Wood agreed that it's more of a "criminal justice system" issue.
"What we see is usually a hold up with the DA's office clearing charges. It kind of backs up our system," said Bosquez.
DOWNLOAD THE FOX 26 HOUSTON APP BY CLICKING HERE
"In Harris County, they have to request permission from the DA's office for the charge to go through. So an officer will come in, and they send it over to the DA's office. So until the DA's office accepts the charge, there's a lot of things that we can't move forward with. We do start medical and mental health services while we're waiting, but some of the legal and the processing has to wait until the DA's office gives us an "A". If we're not hearing from them until 36 hours in, we don't have that full 48-hour window that most jails in the state do."
Bosquez also said the jail has received support from the DA's office through the commissioners' court. There is a DA staff member available for the jail for one eight-hour shift each day.
The average length of stay for an inmate is over 200 days, two to three times the amount of other county jails in the state. There are currently 178 open positions at the facility.