After a series of in-custody deaths sparked questions, several changes have been made at Tarrant County Jail, according to Sheriff Waybourn's report.
The Tarrant County Sheriff says his team is turning around the county jail after a series of inmate deaths that sparked questions from local and state officials. NBC 5’s Maria Guerrero has the details of the new report.
The Tarrant County Sheriff on Tuesday presented county commissioners with a detailed report of in-custody deaths at Tarrant County Jail . Sheriff Bill Waybourn credits staffing changes and an increased focus on physical and mental health following a series of inmate deaths over the past several years that sparked questions about jail operations.Waybourn's presentation included the number of in-custody deaths between 2017 and 2025 in Tarrant County, as well as the state's largest counties. According to his department's data, in-custody deaths are trending down, while the number of inmates is trending up.Not only is the number of inmates rising, but Waybourn also said that 80% of people booked into their jail are struggling with drug or alcohol addiction, and 65% of inmates have documented mental health problems, which many do not disclose during the booking process. Waybourn told commissioners about one incident a few weeks ago where medical staff rushed to save an inmate who collapsed and had no heartbeat. The inmate was transported to the hospital and is now back in jail; according to Waybourn, the man told authorities he had been"detoxing from alcohol" but was"embarrassed" to tell them.Those held in jail because of a lack of mental hospital beds has long been a problem across the nation and in Texas.His data indicates TCJ has become Tarrant County's largest psychiatric facility. Pharmaceutical pills dispensed by JPS medical staff have skyrocketed; 4 million pharmaceutical pills were dispensed to inmates in 2025. Sheriff Waybourn laid out several changes made in recent years that he credits with cutting down on in-custody deaths, including a bigger focus on treating underlying health conditions and better identifying or responding to inmates experiencing medical emergencies. Inmates have several ways of alerting staff of medical needs, including on the iPads he says inmates are now provided.The data presented on Tuesday, however, did not detail any incidents of physical confrontations with guards or whether they involved cases of alleged neglect, which some families have come forward about in recent years. It's something Tarrant County Commissioner Alisa Simmons pressed the sheriff about after she says her office received phone calls from three families on Friday who allege their loved ones' medical needs are being ignored by jail staff. "Friday, three families contacted my office, three, about their loved ones," she said, proceeding to clap her hands three times before referring back to the sheriff's report."This looks lovely, but let's talk reality."The sheriff told Simmons he knew about some of the individuals named and asked for their families to call his office.The lowest number in five years and fewer deaths than the Dallas County Jail registered during the same time period. In 2020, there were 17 in-custody deaths reported in the Tarrant County Jail, 11 of which were recorded as COVID-19-related deaths.
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