Harris County Sheriff's Office responds to FOX 26 exclusive investigation of jail in chaos
HARRIS COUNTY, Texas - In its response, the Harris County Sheriff's Office says the crisis in the jail requires significant action on the part of all participants in the Harris County Criminal Justice system.
Two former Harris County jail employees worked there for years, both resigned saying they just couldn't take it anymore. They asked that we not identify them out of fear of retaliation.
PREVIOUS REPORT: Two former Harris Co. Jail employees say inmates are running the show
One employee, who we will call Mary, says an inmate fondled himself in front of her.
"I ran down the hallways, screaming, and screaming please help me to no avail," Mary said.
She says this happened before a sergeant was raped by an inmate.
PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Harris County Jail deemed 'House of Death' after death of inmate
We asked her what happened after that attack.
"Absolutely nothing," Mary replied.
"I think the deaths were overwhelming. The amount of deaths that continued to occur without intervention," said another former employee, who we will call Sandy.
Last year, 25 inmates died in the Harris County Jail, the most inmate deaths in a decade.
Four additional deaths occurred in January.
"The jail population has increased, and you would think for that reason jail deaths would have increased," said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. "But the truth of the matter is, jail deaths have increased disproportionately to the increase of the population."
In its response, the sheriff's office says the overcrowded conditions are the result of a major backlog in the court system that began with Hurricane Harvey and grew worse during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The response says the average Harris County Jail inmate spends over 200 days in jail, six times longer than the national average, and the number of inmates charged with violent crimes is at its highest point in many years.
"It's a matter of really being thoughtful about who really needs to be in jail," Hidalgo said. "It's not an easy challenge, but a challenge we are tackling, and we're going to do everything we can and be really straightforward about what we can and can't control."
The sheriff's office says while it has no authority to expedite trials and relieve the overcrowding situation, they said they have taken steps to address the crisis in the jail.