Chron.com : Harris Co. jail violence is surging—how the system is failing detainees
July 30, 2023
The June near-death beating of Jack, a detainee in his 30s, shows severe lapses in the facility’s detainee protection and medical standards.
Topics: 2023news, Custody Death, Jail Conditions, Medical
“What happened to [Jack] is neither isolated nor unique,” said Krishnaveni Gundu, co-founder and executive director of Texas Jail Project, a nonprofit advocating for people in county jails. Gundu told Chron that her organization has seen violence escalating in the jail. “After lack of medical care, excessive use of force and assault is the second most common complaint we receive from county jails across the state—and not just Harris County.”
Jack’s account of his injuries was accurate, but far from complete: In addition to multiple skull fractures and brain hemorrhages, Jack sustained an array of severe and immediately life-threatening injuries following the assault, according to medical records obtained by Chron. Now, his family, advocates and medical experts are questioning how Jack sustained his injuries in the first place—and are scrutinizing the medical care he received.
Full Letter on Behalf of Families Impacted by the Crisis at the Harris County Jail
Data suggests that violent incidents in the jail have ballooned in recent years: Chron reviewed the Harris County Sheriff’s Office’s self-reported violent incident report data from May of each year from 2020 through 2023. The records indicate that “use of force leading to bodily injury” increased by nearly 200 percent from 2020 to 2023, with 17 incidents in May 2020, 39 incidents in May 2021, 48 incidents in May 2022 and 50 incidents in May 2023. Assaults increased from 577 in May 2020 to 803 in May 2023—a 39 percent increase—over the same period.