After an unusual decrease in jail inmates across the U.S. during the pandemic, by 2022 overcrowding became more of a problem than ever. Many county and municipal jails held more inmates than they had in years. Due to overcrowding, inmates were routinely forced to sleep on floors, in common areas with no commodes, and in underground tunnels.

Overcrowded jails put everyone on edge. Toilets often don’t work, and everyone is exposed to strong smells of excrement and urine. People who are chained to chairs often pee on the floor because deputies won’t unchain them to relieve themselves.

The Great Resignation that happened after the pandemic affected jails, too. A lot of people were getting sick, and many were depressed. In one state, as many as 800 employees would be out at the same time. With fewer deputies, the remaining staff members had to work double, triple, and even quadruple shifts. Deputies said they had no time to eat, and some workers were urinating in bags because no one was available to watch their posts.

Inmates also suffered because fewer workers meant they could not get out of their cells as usual. In a Texas jail, violence sometimes broke out in an isolation unit because guards didn’t let the inmates shower for days at a time. In one jail outside Texas, inmates claimed they didn’t always get their meals or toilet paper, which the jail adamantly denied.

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this continuing series.

Helping Texas jail detainees and their families with resources is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention of suggesting that people or organizations have been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor