Jose Molina, at age 32, died in the custody of Fannin County Jail in Bonham, Texas, on July 5, 2021. Before being transferred to the hospital where he was pronounced dead, a member of the jail staff discovered Mr. Molina unresponsive in his single cell. His cause of death is unknown.

In 2019, the number of in-custody deaths that occurred in county jails in Texas reached a record high. Research and the opinions of experts and advocates allege that the following contribute to custodial deaths in Texas:

• Inadequate training for jailers
• Low pay for jail staff
• Lack of empathy for inmates, even those without convictions

There was a 5% increase in custodial deaths in 2019 compared to the preceding 13-year average. In addition, the number of deaths was 11% higher than the total in 2017.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has the responsibility of oversight of county jails. Advocates for prisoners point out that it is detrimental that TCJS has no punitive powers when jails are non-compliant with minimum jail standards.

Watchdog groups claim that evidence shows that jails get around reporting custodial deaths in various ways. Most commonly, an inmate will be released on their own recognizance, even without the inmate’s signature, when he or she is hospitalized with a serious illness. In other words, the number of custodial deaths has allegedly been higher than what is indicated by current statistics.

Learn more in this ongoing series.

There is no intention on this website to suggest that persons or entities have participated in misdeeds. The purpose behind this site’s posts is to provide assistance to inmates detained in county jail facilities in Texas.

–Guest Contributor