Weekly news round-up 6/30/25

Read the highlights of Texas Jail Project news coverage below and click on the links to read the full articles.

Houston Public Media: Family, friends of Harris County Jail inmate Ronald Pate demand answers about his death

Ronald Pate died at age 35 after being held in Harris County Jail for about two weeks. There have been 10 in-custody deaths at the Harris County Jail this year, which is equal to all the in-custody deaths last year. Families seeking information about what has happened to loved ones are often left with many unknowns.

Full Article at Houston Public Media

KERA News: Family of man who died of water intoxication in Dallas County jail files civil rights lawsuit

Spencer Swearnger died of water intoxication after being restrained and becoming unresponsive. This is the third water intoxication-related death at Dallas County Jail since 2020.

“The jail has been fully aware for some time of the issue of mentally ill people ingesting large amounts of water,” [attorney Dean Malone] said. “And from taking depositions in another case, we have learned there’s been no training implemented. They haven’t implemented any specific policies.”

Full Article at KERA News

Prison Policy Initiative: Birth behind bars: Ten years of U.S. jail births covered in the news highlight horrific experiences and minimal data collection

Birth in Jails Media Project has collected information about jail births around the country. People are often alone, giving birth in their jail cells and often face medical complications. Read about TJP’s advocacy for pregnancy-related data collection in Texas jails.

Full Article at Prison Policy Initiative

Houston Public Media: Lina Hidalgo discusses denial of security detail for Paris trip, jail deaths, Harris County budget deficit

During a Houston Matters interview with County Judge Lina Hidalgo, she spoke about the jail population, outsourcing, noncompliance, and jail deaths.

Full Article at Houston Public Media