ABC 13: Former Harris Co. inmate claims she miscarried after jailer’s assault, other inmates gang-raped her

The Harris County Jail is under fire again after a woman filed a lawsuit claiming the alleged physical and sexual assault she suffered while incarcerated caused her to have a miscarriage. The claim announced on Tuesday came as new information presented to county officials shows that the jail remains non-compliant with state standards.

For Mikayla Savage, the three months that she spent in the Harris County Jail in summer 2022 will forever be one of the darkest times of her life. According to the federal lawsuit she filed against Harris County on Tuesday, Savage alleged she was assaulted at least six times while pregnant behind bars.

Savage’s case aside, issues regarding jail conditions are still plaguing Harris County. On Tuesday, Harris County commissioners learned the jail is “near compliance” but still missed the mark under state review.

The latest data presented to commissioners indicated that there are still approximately 190 vacant positions at the Harris County Jail. The vacancy rate averaged 11% in 2023, starting at 9% initially and peaking at 14% in the fall.

As of Feb. 19, 9,211 people were in custody, with 15% outsourced to other facilities. Out of that number, 233 have a length of stay of 1,000 days or higher, 59 are greater than 1,500 days, and the longest length of stay is 3,219 days.

Nemeth and other jail reform advocates spoke out during public comment, calling the system “broken.”