Thirty-one-year-old Derreal Jackson went through intake at Tarrant County Jail at 4:53 a.m. on August 1, 2023. He was pronounced deceased at 6:06 a.m.—just 73 minutes later. He was on detox protocol at the time. Mr. Jackson had been placed in a multiple occupancy cell at the Tarrant County Correction Center Jail, 100 N Lamar, Fort Worth, Texas 76196.

Tarrant County Jail Continues to Deal with Overcrowding

In an August 2023 news article, there is current news about the ongoing problem of overcrowding in the Tarrant County Jail system. The Tarrant County Sheriff, Bill Waybourn, is addressing a “staffing crisis” in the Tarrant County Jail. More than 200 detention officer jobs are open. Due to the staff shortage, jailers are putting in 50 hours or more every week.

The staff shortage is a situation that is exacerbated by conditions that can well be described as “overcrowding.” The maximum capacity of the jail system is 5,000, and the daily average number of detainees has risen to 4,700.

On one end of the problem, the Sheriff’s Office is working on recruitment. On the other end of the issue, he is pushing a policy in which people make their first court appearance virtually. This would mean 15 fewer people per day being booked into the system.

In the meantime, what are some of the repercussions of overcrowding in county jails? Learn more in this continuing series.

One of the purposes of this website is to provide resources is to help Texas inmates who have been incarcerated in local county and municipal jails in the state. There is never an intention of implicating an individual or institution in connection with misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor