In case you were wondering, despite transferring (outsourcing) approximately 500 inmates to a private contract jail in Louisiana, it does not appear conditions inside the Harris County Jail have improved. After being involved in a fight with another inmate on 3/11/22, Harris County Jail Inmate Evan Lee, 31, is now in the hospital on a ventilator and reportedly not expected to survive. For more information on that developing story, please click on the link below.
In our opinion, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, working with his staff, detention experts, and applicable stakeholders, needs to publicity develop and implement a comprehensive plan to identify and address all the deficiencies inside the Harris County Jail system (e.g. the on-going violence, the staffing shortage, supervision issues, training issues, contraband, medical care, mental health care, inmate classification issues, disciplinary process, jail support services issues, bed space shortage). We can take tangible, measurable corrective action now, or we can wait until the Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, shows up at our door (again). Come on Sheriff, let's get our house in order NOW; and to our Democratic majority on Commissioners Court, why not show some personal leadership and take several comprehensive, fact-finding tours inside the county jail? Speak directly with the inmates, the jail staff, etc. on all three shifts and observe internal operations for yourself. If you show you truly care, maybe everyone else will, too.
For the media report on Inmate Lee, please click below:
For more background on the rise in violence inside the Harris County Jail, to include the horrific beating and rape of a HCSO sergeant four months ago, please click on the link below.
For some of the media reports documenting other recent Harris County inmate deaths, please see the links below:
UPDATE 4/3/22: Today, the Harris County Jail inmate population was 9,453, with almost 9,000 of them having some form of felony (District Court) case. Even with approximately 500 inmates outsourced to Louisiana, the jail appears is a crowded powder keg. One spark could result in tragic consequences...
UPDATE 4/12/22: The Harris County Deputies Organization calls out the Democrats on Commissioners Court for failing to provide the necessary funding and resources to properly staff the HCSO Patrol Districts and Harris County Jail. For more information, please click on the media link below:
UPDATE 5/30/22: The jail situation is not getting any better. The Harris County Jail population is now 9,747, of which 9,155 inmates (94% of the jail population) have felony cases piled up in the District Courts - see charts below. For context, with the 1307 Baker Street Jail facility still closed, the total housing capacity of the Harris County Jail is 9,494. When you add in 500 contract (out-source) beds, that capacity rises to 9,994. Still, due to standard classification housing constraints, the county jail is basically packed full right now.
Also, there have been two more inmate deaths in the Harris County Jail in the past two weeks - see links below:
FOR MORE POSTS, please routinely check HarrisCountyDemocrats.com.
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