Police Misconduct Lawyer El Paso – A Unique Database Details 7,000 Deaths that Occurred in Texas Legal Custody over 10 Years
In July 2016, Amanda Woog released a database for public access that lists all of the deaths that occurred when people were in Texas legal custody between 2005 and 2015. It was the first database of its kind. Based on painstaking research and the cooperation of the Texas attorney general’s office, Woog determined that 6,913 people died in Texas while in legal custody. This number reflects a higher rate, as compared to national trends. The significance of this kind of tool is tremendous, considering the growing nationwide awareness of the deaths of unarmed African Americans allegedly at the hands of law enforcement officials.
A wide range of different circumstances surrounded the nearly 7,000 deaths of people in legal custody. The data prepared by Woog shows that 70% of those who died were serving lengthy prison sentences, and they died of natural causes. The second most common cause of the deaths was suicide, with 11% total. Other causes included justifiable homicide at 8%, alcohol and drug intoxication at 4%, and accident injury at 2%. In many of the drug intoxication cases, people consumed large amounts of drugs as a way of trying to hide evidence when police in pursuit.
An alarming statistic that emerged from the data is that 1,900 of those who died in custody had never been convicted of a crime. In the Texas criminal justice system, the data shows that deaths can occur during pre-booking, in jail, or in prison. Woog’s website alleges that every phase of custody comes with its own challenges and risks to an individual’s well-being. The database has been updated and includes the death of Sandra Bland, who died in Waller County Jail last year and whose story has been the cause of widespread outrage.
You can see a custodial death report prepared by the Attorney General of Texas here.
–Guest Contributor
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