The Coalition for Truth and Justice
Fighting against Death Penalty since 1999
Fighting against Death Penalty since 1999
Death Penalty Resources » Deat Penalty in Texas » Harris County sheriff, challenger clash over inmate deaths
Harris County Sheriff Tommy Thomas and Democratic election challenger Adrian Garcia clashed today over inmate deaths in the county jail, with the Republican incumbent saying many accused criminals arrive there with life-threatening illness.
About 140 inmates have died since 2001 in the county jail system, which for full staffing requires overtime pay to deputies in Thomas' agency.
The deaths and other problems have triggered a federal probe into jail operations.
"There shouldn't be any (deaths)," Thomas said during a debate videotaped for broadcast at 8 p.m. Friday on KUHF Channel 8. "But most of these individals have recurring problems when they came to jail. This is 1.2 million people coming through this institution and a daily population of 12,000. We are talking a city the size of Tomball or Humble or Katy. I challenge you to see how many people in those cities die a year."
Garcia, a Houston councilman and former police officer, said, "We shouldn't be talking statistics when it comes to human life.
"The sheriff's office has a constitutional mandate to serve, and effectively treat the people in custody. Look into the face of the parents whose children are in custody and you tell them your kid dies in the custody of the Harris County sheriff's office."
"First of all, it's not children," Thomas retorted.
Garcia said that because the sheriff's department keeps inmate medical records on paper rather than computer, jail doctors may not have immediate access to such records when ill people end up in the jail as repeat accused offenders.
"You should have those medical records immediately available and who knows how that delay could have played into some of these deaths," Garcia said.
In addition to the Friday broadcast, the episode of Red White and Blue: The Great Debate Series will be shown again at 5 p.m. Sunday.