Justice Dept. Investigates Houston Jail System

HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Justice launched a probe into conditions in the Harris County jail system.

Justice officials from the civil rights division will investigate whether the largest municipal jail system in Texas is operating in a manner consistent with constitutionally mandated standards. More than 100 inmates died since 2001, according to reports.

The county jail system, which processes approximately 130,000 inmates annually and houses 10,000 to 12,000 inmates at any given time, has been the focus of criticism in recent years with complaints about overcrowding, substandard sanitation and ventilation, and access to medical treatment.

There were 16 inmate deaths during 2007 and 21 fatalities in 2006, according to official reports. Three inmates died during the first weeks of 2008.

In 2007, the sheriff began contracting with a private facility in Louisiana to house about 600 inmates. A new 1,100-bed county facility to relieve overcrowding is scheduled to open in Atascocita, Texas, in 2008, officials say.

In November 2005, justice officials opened an investigation of the Dallas County Jail, which concluded that critical failures in living conditions, healthcare and institutional efforts to protect inmate welfare, safety and security were responsible for inmate fatalities.

The findings lead to the imposition of a federal court order outlining procedures and standards for medical care, mental health services and sanitation in the Dallas jail system.