Derreal Jackson entered Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Texas, at the age of 31. Within minutes he was pronounced deceased. However, it seems there is an error on the custodial death report (CDR) and it may have been mere hours instead of minutes. Either way, the loss of his life on August 1, 2023, is a tragedy. The cause of his death is unknown and is pending autopsy results.

Overcrowding is an Ongoing Problem in Texas Jails

Tarrant County Jail is one of many jails in Texas that is struggling with overcrowding, and Hidalgo County Detention Center is another. Hidalgo reported that they had 0 beds available as of August 1, 2023. They are seeking solutions, one of which is to take advantage of a 50-year lease with Willacy County to use its jail to hold detainees. With Willacy’s additional 582 beds, Hidalgo will be able to house a total of 1,814 detainees. However, the cost to taxpayers is steep. They are paying $3 million per year for the first three years.

The County Judge in Willacy County has pointed out that two years of shutting down the adjudication of cases has greatly contributed to a severe backlog of cases. In addition, there has been an increase in people being jailed by the Texas Department of Public Safety, which launched Operation Lone Star, a law enforcement border initiative.

Tarrant County has a severe staffing crisis in the jail, in addition to overcrowding. The county is working on ways to reduce the jail population. Commissioner Alisa Simmons suggested that people don’t need to be taking up beds if their bail is under $500, whether they can afford to pay or not.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this five-part series.

One of the purposes of this website is to provide resources to help Texas inmates who have been incarcerated in local county and municipal jails in the state. There is never an intention of suggesting that a person or institution has been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor