On December 1, 2021, Anne Elizabeth Murphy was in a multiple occupancy cell in Harris County Jail, Houston, Texas, when fellow inmates reported that she was in medical distress. Life-saving measures quickly began and continued until paramedics with the Houston Fire Department arrived. Ms. Murphy, age 53, was transported to St. Joseph Hospital, where she was pronounced dead by a physician.

A Texas county jail had 21 custodial deaths in 2020 and possibly more, according to numerous news reports. Statistics from a study on deaths at the jail show that 1 in 185 inmates died in custody. Although Dallas County Jail has a much larger jail population, there were 8 custodial deaths in 2020. Questions are naturally raised regarding the high death count. For context, an investigative report reveals that in 2020, there was one in-custody death in Collin County. In recent history, the Collin County Sheriff fired seven employees after one controversial custodial death.

Many of the operational requirements for county jails in Texas are associated with such matters as suicide prevention and protection from hazardous health situations. During annual jail inspections, investigations sometimes reveal that jails are non-compliant in ways that can endanger inmates’ lives. Inspectors with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) conduct the inspections. An example follows, and further details will be revealed in this continuing series.

Non-Compliance: §273.6 – Restraints

In a jail inspection report dated October 7, 2021, an inspector reports that a rule pertaining to restraints has been violated. TCJS has approved various types of restraint systems for use when inmates behave in a manner that endangers themselves and/or others. 

Learn more in this ongoing series.

Suggesting that a person or entity is engaged in misdeeds is never intended on this website. The purpose of posts on this site is to help inmates currently or previously incarcerated at a Texas county jail.

–Guest Contributor