Inmate Commits Suicide in Dallas County Jail

Rad Douglas Harrison, 46 years of age at the time, passed away on December 18, 2017.  Information in this post was obtained from a custodial death report filed by the Dallas County Sheriff’s Department with the Texas State Attorney General.  We make no allegations of any wrongdoing in this post, but we instead are simply providing information.

Mr. Harrison was transferred from the Garland Police Department on December 11, 2017 and booked into the Dallas County Jail.  The booking was done by Dallas County Sheriff’s deputies.  Mr. Harrison was placed into a medical housing unit, and he was then transferred to a behavioral observation unit in the Dallas County Jail.

On December 17, 2017, shortly after noon, most of the occupants in a cell at or near where Mr. Harrison was incarcerated were in a “day room” watching a football game.  Mr. Harrison allegedly hung himself using a white bath towel and the frame of a bunk bed.  Dallas Fire Rescue responded, and Mr. Harrison was transported to Parkland Memorial Hospital.  Mr. Harrison was ultimately disconnected from a life support system and passed away.  The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department is investigating Mr. Harrison’s death.

Prisoners have a constitutional right to receive adequate mental health and medical care.  If jailers are aware of a prisoner’s propensity to harm himself or herself, then they have a constitutional duty to take action and not be deliberately indifferent to such needs.  These constitutional implications may or may not be implicated in the death of Mr. Harrison, but they are clearly recognized by the United States Supreme Court.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.