BEXAR COUNTY, Texas \u2013 Houston, Dallas and San Antonio are home to the largest county jails in Texas. So far this year, Bexar County has had the highest number of reported deaths while in jail custody, according to data from the Texas Jail Project.<\/p>\n
A coalition of local nonprofits held a press conference outside the Bexar County Courthouse calling for major changes at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center, saying the county\u2019s handling of people in custody needs to change.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou cannot get well in a cell,\u201d Ananda Tomas, with ACT 4 SA, said.<\/p>\n
Speakers said the issues range from access to medical and mental health care to detox protocols, accountability and transparency.<\/p>\n
\u201cAccess to medical care is one of the few rights that incarcerated people have,\u201d said Krish Kundu, co-founder of the Texas Jail Project.<\/p>\n
Kundu said the group\u2019s work has focused on deaths tied to pretrial detention.<\/p>\n
\u201cPretrial detention has become a de facto death sentence for many Texans,\u201d Kundu said. \u201cData that we got from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and the OAG as of yesterday: 78% of deaths in county jails (across Texas) this year were pretrial. That means people were legally innocent.\u201d<\/p>\n
Tomas said advocates want intake screenings to better identify urgent medical and mental health needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery person entering this jail should receive a proper assessment and evaluation for medical emergencies, for mental health crises, for alcohol and substance abuse,\u201d Tomas said.<\/p>\n
One speaker, Anthony, told reporters he has experienced withdrawal while in custody.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany times I\u2019ve went in there through withdrawal and many times I see, I\u2019ve seen it and experienced it myself,\u201d Anthony said.<\/p>\n
Kundu also highlighted the experience of families seeking answers after a death in custody.<\/p>\n
\u201cHere\u2019s a mom, Lydia Leos, whose son died in the jail because of a complete failure of detox protocols more than four years ago,\u201d Kundu said. \u201cShe has been fighting for transparency and accountability and something as simple as family notification.\u201d<\/p>\n
Kundu said data compiled by the Texas Jail Project over the last decade shows a higher number of suicides in Bexar County jail compared to other large Texas counties.<\/p>\n
\u201cThirty-five community members committed suicide in the Bexar County jail compared to 13 in Harris County, seven in Dallas County, 10 in Tarrant, 14 in Travis County,\u201d Kundu said.<\/p>\n
Advocates said their goals include public-facing accountability measures and better continuity of care.<\/p>\n
\u201cCreating accountability that the public can see,\u201d Tomas said.<\/p>\n
Steve Huerta with All of Us or None said the coalition is asking for a public dashboard and improved mental health support.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re asking simply that there\u2019ll be a dashboard,\u201d Huerta said. \u201cWe\u2019re asking that the continuum of care for mental health be in place. We\u2019re asking that we look at the preconditions of arrest to bring people into the system.\u201d<\/p>\n
KSAT reached out to the Bexar County Sheriff\u2019s Office for an interview with Sheriff Javier Salazar, but he was not available.<\/p>\n
The sheriff\u2019s office said it works to notify next of kin promptly, as that was one of the group\u2019s high-priority goals with a public dashboard. However, BCSO said locating the right person can sometimes take time and research.<\/p>\n
Read also: <\/p>\n
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