Attorney Ben Crump joined local lawyer Paul Grinke to represent the families of nine people who died in the Harris County Jail alongside 13 formerly incarcerated people recently in filing a federal lawsuit.
Both attorneys alleged that the sheriff's office deliberately neglected to keep incarcerated people safe in jail. The lawsuit also mentions jail staffers neglected medical issues of inmates leading to deaths, attacked incarcerated people and allowed violent attacks to happen by not stopping them.
This includes Jacilet Griffin-Lee whose son Evan Lee was beaten by another detainee and didn’t receive sufficient medical care leading to his death. Officials for the Sheriff’s department even blamed injuries on a “slap boxing” game. Harris County sheriff's office received at least 51 lawsuits in county and federal courts over the past decade according to a Houston Landing investigation earlier this year.
Speaking to the community in a message, sheriff’s officials said that though “solutions aren’t simple,” they have made progress on jail safety. Some of the progress include giving body-cameras for jail guards, raising guard salaries and increased screenings for contraband.
Link: The Texas Tribune
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