Continuing from Part 1 of this series, the following are more of the recent concerns regarding a county jail in a state outside of Texas that has been inspected monthly for 16 months, though the disciplinary action has been halted:
- A fellow inmate found Michael Wormick, age 52, unresponsive in his jail cell in July 2020. The official cause of death is still unclear, but, for now, his death is listed as a result of health issues. Wormick’s death was the first after the unprecedented nine custodial deaths that occurred in the 11-month period ending May 2019.
- Five inmates at the jail have been mistakenly released in 2020, with the last two being released just this past weekend.
- Staff issues have also been a source of concern. For instance, deputies have been accused of beating prisoners. A former warden who resigned in April 2020 allegedly fostered a hostile workplace environment, and he is accused of forcing an employee to taxi him to an airport.
- Although there was a push within the state to release hundreds of prisoners facing nonviolent felony charges in response to the pandemic, the population of the jail has increased steadily.
- Jail officers as well as top officials at the jail are the subjects of dozens of indictments in a criminal investigation launched by the state’s Attorney General.
Read Part 1 and this continuing series to learn more about the jail events and conditions leading to unprecedented monthly jail inspections in the out-of-state jail.
This and all posts on this site purpose to serve as informational resources. There is no intent to imply misconduct of any kind occurred on the part of a person or institution.
–Guest Contributor