The Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office filed a custodial death report with the Office of the Attorney General of Texas about detainee Derreal Jackson on September 1, 2023. Mr. Jackson didn’t live much longer than an hour after going through intake at Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Texas. He had been placed on detox guidelines. The custodial death report (CDR) shows that he was flagged during the medical booking process. As a result, he was transported by ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital.

What Kinds of Problems Are Caused by Overcrowding?

Suicide is identified as a high risk among detainees in local jails. Overcrowding is another condition in jails that can cause many potential dangers for those who are incarcerated.

Problems related to overcrowding were mentioned in a notice of noncompliance sent to Leon County Jail. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards sends inspectors to inspect every county jail in the state annually. Special jail inspections are conducted when there is a custodial death or when there has been a complaint. When inspectors find that the jail doesn’t meet operational requirements, citations for noncompliance are issued.

Leon County Jail was cited for three violations. The chapters that alleged violations occurred in are New Construction Rules, the Classification and Separation of Inmates, and the Supervision of Inmates. The TCJS inspectors mentioned that overcrowding was behind all three violations.

Learn more in Part 1 and 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