Protest planned Tuesday over Tarrant County Jail deaths, alleged policy violations

A Texas advocacy and watchdog organization is planning a rally in Fort Worth on Tuesday to demand changes at Tarrant County's jails after more than three dozen inmate deaths in recent years, complaints of policy violations and the alleged neglect of a mentally disabled woman in April.

The Texas Jail Project is organizing the protest outside the Tarrant County Commissioners meeting. Other advocacy groups are also participating.

The Star-Telegram reported in late April that 38-year-old Kelly Masten, who has nearly daily seizures and the mentality of a 6-year-old, was covered in large bruises and in a coma after spending 10 days in the jail. Her grandmother had called 911 when Masten bit her during a seizure; the family said they thought Fort Worth police officers would take Masten to the hospital, not the jail. Masten requires daily medication

"What happened to Kelly is not an isolated incident," said Krish Gundu, executive director of Texas Jail Project, in a news release.

The Tarrant County Sheriff's Office said it was investigating what happened when Masten was incarcerated. It has not found any evidence of something criminal occurring.

The Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond Monday to a request for comment about Tuesday's rally.

The Texas Jail Project says it is demanding an independent audit of Tarrant County jail policies and procedures, as well as resignations of Sheriff Bill Waybourn, jail medical staff, and staff at MHMR, which provides mental health support.

The group also says crisis workers, not law enforcement, should respond to calls when someone is suffering from a mental health crisis. It also wants changes to inmate screening, and for people with mental illness and disabilities to be diverted to other facilities instead of being held in jail.

Other groups participating in the rally are United Fort Worth, ICE Out of Tarrant County, community organizations comprising disability rights, faith and justice groups, and families.

What are the complaints against the Tarrant County Jail?

The Star-Telegram has reported on allegations, violations and deaths at the jail in recent years.

Families of people who have died in jail have complained about the difficulty in obtaining information about the circumstances of the death. Other complaints have included jailers not checking on inmates properly, or knowing when inmates die. In 2020, a baby was born in the jail without anyone knowing and later died.

The Star-Telegram has reported on the issues through interviews with jailers and inmates' families, through records maintained by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, and through in lawsuits and other court documents.

State inspectors have found multiple occasions where jailers were not maintaining proper medical files on inmates. After 28-year-old Javonte Myers died of a seizure disorder in 2020, a jailer who was tasked with watching over him later said he didn't know Myers had physical and mental health ailments. Jailers lied about checking on Myers at least 20 times. His body was not found for at least six hours after his death. Both jailers accused of lying about their checks told investigators that the jail is lax about procedures for checking on medical inmates and that supervisors were only concerned about "making the computer look good."

Five years before Myers' death, Krisha Blackwell died of a known seizure disorder. Jailers attempted to give Blackwell a breakfast tray but when she didn't respond, one jailer tapped her foot on the cell door and the other jailer tapped metal keys on the door. When she still didn't respond, a lawsuit says, the jailers noted she refused breakfast and moved on. More than an hour later, medical staff also did not get a response from Blackwell but continued to distribute medication to other cells without checking on her. After they finished, they went back to her cell and realized she was not breathing.

In March 2019, state inspectors found there was no requirement for how much training - and how often - jail staff would receive related to preventing and recognizing suicide. The jail had to send Jail Standards an action plan for fixing the problem.

Between Feb. 24-26, 2020, state investigators found that a suicide screening form was not being completed during intake.

The state found that a magistrate wasn't always notified when someone with mental health issues was booked.

In 2020, a nonverbal woman gave birth while she was housed at the Tarrant County Jail. Jailers did not realize that a baby had been born and the baby died 10 days later. Her mother was not allowed to leave the jail to say goodbye, according to a lawsuit. A state investigation found no wrongdoing by the jail. During a commissioners court meeting after the Star-Telegram published a story about the birth, commissioners admonished the sheriff for not notifying the court.

At least 10 people have died by suicide in the jail since 2011. A state investigation found that jailers missed checking on Dean Stewart several times before he was found dead. The jail lost its state certification for six days because of the missed checks.

The Texas Jail Project says data from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards shows that since 2019, at least 39 people have died in Tarrant County Jail. Data also shows three suicides, 138 attempted suicides and 431 assaults, Gundu said in a statement.

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