A lack of oversight and standards for pregnancy care in jails is becoming more problematic as the number of incarcerated women rises and abortion restrictions put medical care further out of reach.
Since December, state officials have been reducing the Harris County Jail's approved capacity by 144 beds each month in response to inconsistent staffing levels.
Advocates and family members of people who have experienced mental illness met Thursday at a Texas Commission on Jail Standards hearing to speak publicly and raise awareness of jail deaths and a backlog in the state hospital system that has left thousands of mentally ill people waiting for treatment for months, or years, in jail.
Since 2022, Harris County has been outsourcing inmates to the Giles W. Dalby Correctional Facility in Garza County. Now, state officials determined both jails have been violating statewide safety standards.
“The people of Tarrant County gathered up and wanted to talk to the sheriff. I wanted to be available,” Waybourn said after hearing concerns about conditions in the jail.