In-Custody Death Rate Continues to Climb in Harris County
A 55-year-old man facing a DWI charge reportedly died hours after entering the Harris County Joint Processing Center last week, according to the Harris County Sheriff’s Office. This marks the sixth in-custody death reported in Harris County this year.
Death Occurs Hours After Arrest
Devin Williams was arrested on a drunk driving charge and booked into the jail around 9:30 p.m. on February 26. He was sitting in the Joint Processing Center waiting area around 9 a.m. the next morning when staff noticed he was unresponsive. Medical personnel determined Williams was dead, according to the sheriff’s office.
Autopsy Underway to Determine Cause of Death
An autopsy is being conducted by the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences to determine his cause of death. On Thursday, the case to determine his manner of death was still pending.
Recent In-Custody Deaths
This incident follows the deaths of two other inmates in the past week. 23-year-old inmate Eric Jackson, who was awaiting his acceptance to a drug treatment facility, died in the Harris County Jail last week. 83-year-old Dennis Brandl, accused of shooting a person at Pasadena Memorial High School, died from natural causes after a medical emergency in the jail over the weekend, prompting prosecutors to drop his charges.
High In-Custody Death Rate
Ten people reportedly died while in custody last year, according to information released by the sheriff’s office. This is a decrease from 2024 when 19 people died. 27 in-custody deaths were reported in 2022 — the highest number in nearly two decades, according to county records and data from the Texas Justice Initiative.
Concerns Over Lack of Transparency and Accountability
"We don’t ask the hard questions about what went wrong and what could have been prevented and how we could prevent this in the future," Krish Gundu, executive director of Texas Jail Project, told Houston Public Media earlier this year. "We just don’t learn from these deaths, and they just keep happening over and over again."
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many people have died in custody in Harris County this year?
A: Six people have died in custody in Harris County this year.
Q: What was the cause of Devin Williams’ death?
A: An autopsy is being conducted to determine the cause of his death.
Q: How many people died in custody last year?
A: Ten people died in custody last year.
Q: What is the highest number of in-custody deaths reported in Harris County?
A: 27 people died in custody in 2022, the highest number in nearly two decades.
