Clearinghouse coding complete
On March 7, 2008, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division (“DOJ”) notified a Harris County Judge of DOJ’s intention to investigate the conditions at the Harris County Jail (“Jail”). The Jail includes four major jail facilities and had a design capacity of approximately 9800 detainees. At the time of the investigation, the Jail housed over 9400 detainees. The investigation was undertaken under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (“CRIPA”).
DOJ lawyers and expert consultants reviewed records, interviewed staff and detainees, and inspected the facility living conditions. After two on-site inspections in July and August of 2008, the DOJ issued a Findings Letter to a Harris County Judge on June 4, 2009.
The Findings Letter stated that certain conditions at the jail violated the constitutional rights of detainees. Specifically, DOJ found that the Jail fails to provide detainees with adequate: (1) medical care; (2) mental health care; (3) protection from serious physical harm; and (4) protection from life safety hazards. The Letter also included proposed remedial measures and expressed DOJ’s preference for working cooperatively with the Jail to resolve the deficiencies.
The parties are reportedly still in settlement negotiations, but an investigation conducted by the Houston Chronicle found that many of the problems identified in the June 2009 Letter still existed. According to that November 2015 investigation, 75 people had died in the time since the DOJ’s 2009 Letter, 19 of which died from medical issues that were “either treatable or preventable, or in which delays in care, or staff misconduct, could have played a role in their deaths.”
The case remains open.
Summary Authors
Chris Pollack (2/22/2019)
King, Loretta (District of Columbia)
Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 1:32 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Texas
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
United States Department of Justice Civil Rights Division.
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Attorney Organizations:
U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Harris County Jail (Harris), County
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Civil Rights of Institutionalized Persons Act (CRIPA), 42 U.S.C. § 1997 et seq.
Constitutional Clause(s):
Special Case Type(s):
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: None Yet / None
Nature of Relief:
Source of Relief:
Issues
General:
Incident/accident reporting & investigations
Sanitation / living conditions
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Policing:
Medical/Mental Health:
Type of Facility: