Fort Bend sheriff pushes back against criticism over jail suicides

TJP director Diana Claitor spoke to Houston Chronicle reporter Emily Foxhall about the number of suicides in Fort Bend county's jail. That jail in fast-growing Fort Bend currently holds 850 to 1,000 inmates on a given day.

"Of those incarcerated in county jails statewide, more than 60 percent have not been convicted yet," said Claitor, and "if they cannot post bail, they must remain in an atmosphere that can be hostile, depressing and even threatening." She went on to say that much of the time, people are treated in a generalized way: "They're all the enemy." Sheriff Troy Nehls defended his staff and said that the state of Texas had failed by not funding adequate mental health care.

Foxhall E. 11/28/2015 Fort Bend sheriff pushes back against criticism over jail suicides. The Houston Chronicle.