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The families of nine people who died in the Harris County Jail joined with 13 formerly incarcerated people Monday in suing Harris County, alleging the Sheriff’s Office repeatedly violated constitutional rights by creating a “place of torment and punishment.”
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump joined local lawyer Paul Grinke in filing the federal lawsuit, which follows dozens of deaths and injuries at the jail in the past few years. The lawsuit ranks among the highest-profile civil actions to date against Harris County related to its oversight of the jail, which is run by the Sheriff’s Office.
Crump and Grinke allege that the Sheriff’s Office has deliberately neglected its duty to keep incarcerated people safe in the jail. In their lawsuit, the lawyers allege jail staffers have neglected medical issues preceding deaths, assaulted incarcerated people and failed to stop violent attacks.
“It is time for justice to wield her mighty hand and hold Harris County accountable for their deliberate indifference to basic human rights,” the plaintiffs’ lawyers wrote. “These individuals deserve humanity, and they deserve life.”
The Sheriff’s Office has been under scrutiny from state regulators and local advocates amid complaints of overcrowding and unsafe conditions.
Prior to Monday’s filing, at least 51 lawsuits had been lodged in county and federal court over the past decade by people formerly incarcerated in the Harris County Jail and their loved ones, according to a Houston Landing investigation earlier this year.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards has also deemed the Sheriff’s Office non-compliant with multiple state safety codes in the past year. Regulators have reprimanded the agency for failing to comply with state standards regarding medical care, monitoring of incarcerated people, processing of detainees and minimum staffing.
TCJS officials warned Sheriff’s Office leaders last week that they face “escalated” enforcement after failing to reach full compliance nearly a year after first coming under scrutiny.
Crump has represented the families of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin and numerous other people affected by high-profile cases of law enforcement abuses. Crump has also taken up the causes of several Harris County families suing police agencies in the region, including Pamela Turner, Eric Cantu, Jalen Randle and victims of the Astroworld tragedy.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office has not filed a response to the lawsuit and did not immediately respond to a request for comment Monday afternoon. Sheriff’s officials told the TCJS last week that they believe most of the issues identified by regulators have been addressed.
This story will be updated.
This article first appeared on Houston Landing.
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