Since 2005, 0 people have died in the custody of Texas law enforcement, based on state-mandated reports.

What We're Reading

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  Seven Texas prison employees face dismissal over 16-year-old inmate’s suicide

  Published on April 25, 2023

  Jolie McCullough reports for the Texas Tribune that the Texas Department of Criminal Justice has moved to fire seven employees for failing to check on a 16-year-old boy who died by suicide in a Fort Bend County prison in March.

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  Fatal police shootings are still going up, and nobody knows why

  Published on February 21, 2023

  Reporters at The Washington Post, which tracks deadly shootings by law enforcement, found that 2022 saw the most incidents since they started tracking the fatalities in 2015.

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  FBI launches 2 investigations into Harris County Jail in-custody deaths

  Published on February 14, 2023

  The Houston Chronicle reports on the FBI's announcement that it "has open investigations into allegations of federal civil rights violations surrounding the deaths of Jaquaree Simmons and Jacoby Pillow in the Harris County Jail. These investigations will be fair, thorough, and impartial, and will proceed independently of any state investigations involving incidents at the jail. To preserve the integrity and capabilities of the investigations, no details of the ongoing process will be publicly shared."

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  Harris County Jail population, deaths swell in 2022

  Published on January 30, 2023

  Community Impact reporter Rachel Carlton concluded that the 27 people who died in Harris County in the custody of the sheriff's office in 2022 was "the highest number since 23 deaths in 2006," according to TJI's data, which reflects reports agencies file with the state.