HOUSTON — The U.S. Department of Justice will investigate conditions at the Harris County Jail, including treatment of inmates, KPRC Local 2 reported Friday. According to a letter from the Attorney General to County Judge Ed Emmett, the investigation is looking into whether the conditions in the jail violate the constitution. Lakeisha Williams’ sister has been in the Harris County Jail for nearly four weeks. She said conditions could definitely improve.”It’s very, very dirty,” said Williams. “Spider bites, people sick — it’s just horrible.” Chief Deputy Mike Smith said there are a lot of complaints with little to go on. “We contend it’s not filthy,” he said. “Most people can’t believe it’s as clean as it is. We have a professional staff and it’s one of the better run jails in the country.”

The Department of Justice sent a letter to the county Friday saying they’re starting an investigation that will focus on protection of inmates from harm, environmental conditions, and inmate medical and mental health. The Houston Ministers Against Crime said they’ve been trying to get such an investigation for years. “It’s about time,” said Reverend James Nash. “We’ve heard a lot of reports from inmates who got out about the conditions.” The county attorney said the county has nothing to hide. “They have not yet come to any conclusions whether or not violations need to be remedied,” Mike Stafford said. Investigators are expected to do on-site inspections. If they find violations, they will make recommendations.

The Justice Department has done 400 similar investigations, including in Dallas County. A specific case was not mentioned in the Department of Justice letter, but the document encouraged county officials to cooperate fully. “We will of course cooperate fully with the Justice Department in its investigation, and we look forward to resolving any issues the investigation might reveal,” Emmett said. The sheriff’s department released the following statement. “The Harris County Sheriff’s Office received notice today that the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) will conduct an investigation of the Harris County Jail system. In their announcement, the DOJ made no allegations against the Harris County Sheriff’s Office, and they expressed their belief that Harris and other Counties want to operate their jails in a manner consistent with the Constitution.

The DOJ indicated that their investigation will focus on the ‘efforts the County has undertaken to ensure compliance with federal law,’ and that they will make recommendations when appropriate on improvements that can be made. “Sheriff Tommy Thomas asserted that, as always, the Department of Justice officials, and all Federal Authorities, for that matter, will enjoy the full cooperation of and access to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. In addition, the Sheriff’s Office welcomes any recommendations DOJ may make regarding ways in which our operations can be improved.”

Department Of Justice Letter

Dear Judge Emmett: This is to inform you that the United States Department of Justice is commencing an investigation of the Harris County Jail (“HCJ”) pursuant to our authority under the Civil Rights of Institutionalized Person’s Act, 42, U.S.C., 1997.

In conducting the investigation, we are obliged to determine whether there are systematic violations of the Constitution of the United States in the conditions at HCJ. Our investigation will focus on protection of inmates from harm, environmental conditions, and inmate medical and metal health care.

We have not reached any conclusions about the subject matter of the investigation.

We believe that you and other County officials want to operate HCJ consistent with the requirements of the Constitution. During the course of our investigation, we will consider all relevant information, particularly the efforts the County has undertaken to ensue compliance with federal law. We also will offer to provide recommendation on ways to improve conditions at the facility, when appropriate. Provided that the County cooperates fully with our investigation, if we conclude that there are no systematic violations of constitutional or other federal rights, we will notify you that we are closing the investigation.

If, on the other hand, we conclude that there are such violations, we will provide detailed, written findings and identify the minimum measures we believe are necessary to remedy the violations. In addition, we will identify any financial, technical, or other assistance the Unites States may be able to provide to assist the County in correcting the identified deficiencies. In over 20 years of enforcing the Civil rights of Institutionalized Persons Act, the good faith efforts of state or local jurisdictions working with us have enabled us routinely to resolve our claims without resort to contested litigation.

We encourage Harris County to cooperate with our investigation and can assure you that we will seek to minimize any potential disruption our efforts may have on the operations of the institution.”

Sincerely,
Grace Chung Becker
Acting Assistant Attorney General