KERA News: ‘I need answers’: Mother of man who died in Tarrant custody criticizes lack of outside investigation
November 8, 2024
Under the Sandra Bland Act, an outside law enforcement agency is required to come in and perform its own investigation of every death in jail custody. Tarrant County has not been…
Topics: 2024news, Custody Death, Medical, TCJS
Tarrant County
Under the Sandra Bland Act, an outside law enforcement agency is required to come in and perform its own investigation of every death in jail custody. Tarrant County has not been doing that since October of 2021, according to the TCJS.
“I need answers. I need accountability. I need transparency,” Johnson said.
Goldie VanZandt is an advocate with Texas Jail Project, a nonprofit that pushes for better treatment of people in Texas’ county jails. She read a statement on behalf of the organization’s cofounder, Krish Gundu, that asked what the TCJS will do about the problem.
“The next step you take will tell the community whether your mission is to ensure the safety of incarcerated people and staff, or to protect a sheriff who thinks he’s above the law,” VanZandt read.