HARRIS COUNTY, Texas – Family and friends of a special needs inmate who died in the Harris County Jail honored their son on Wednesday ahead of his birthday.
Fred Harris died in 2021 at 19 years old after he was stabbed and beaten. His family held a news conference to discuss the deaths at the Harris County Jail.
During the conference, attorney Randall Kallinen said he has seen video evidence of the case and said it is horrible. There is a protective order over the case, and the lawyer is trying to request for it to be lifted so the public can see more documents and videos of the murder.
Family members were emotional during the conference.
“It is extremely painful to see what is happening at the Harris County Jail,” Dallas Harris, Fred’s mother said.
Michael Ownby is accused of murdering Fred, and his trial is scheduled to begin in September.
The Harris County Jail mortality rate so far in 2023 is lower than the overall Texas state jail mortality rate, and lower than the combined death rate of Texas’ five largest urban jails, data shows.
The progress is especially noteworthy because the average stay for a person booked into the Harris County Jail is 195 days, which is about six times longer than the national jail average. The nation’s largest county jail in Los Angeles has documented 26 deaths so far in 2023, compared to 10 in Harris County. Harris County has recorded six fewer deaths in custody this year than at the same point in 2022.
“I’m proud of our Sheriff’s Office team and our partners for their commitment to making our jail as safe as possible for those who live and work there,” said Sheriff Ed Gonzalez. “We still have much work to do, but the numbers reveal true progress.”
More than a year has passed since the Harris Health System assumed responsibility for providing medical care to people in the jail. At the same time, the county has boosted annual jail medical spending to $93.9 million, a 24% increase since 2021. Harris Health has successfully reduced the amount of time people in jail must wait to see a health care professional, and implemented new systems to ensure timely and accurate distribution of prescription medications.
Earlier this year Harris County Commissioners Court approved $2,000 annual retention stipends for detention officers who stay on the job, and those first payments are set to be made in October. In June, Sheriff Gonzalez told Commissioners Court that his top budget priority for the upcoming fiscal year is a 15% pay increase for detention officers, to bring them more in line with their peers in other Texas jails.
To improve accountability and transparency in the jail operation, Sheriff Gonzalez has ordered implementation of a body-worn camera program in the jail, which will be among the first of its kind in Texas jails. He has also ordered increased screening of employees and visitors entering the jail to prevent the distribution of potentially deadly illegal drugs. Sheriff Gonzalez has also invested more department resources into investigating illegal contraband in the jail.
“These investments and initiatives show that we are serious about improving safety inside the jail,” Sheriff Gonzalez said. “The solutions are not simple, but we hold every life in our jail as precious. I want every family that has lost a loved one in the jail to know they have my sincere sympathy and my pledge to continue striving to make our jail even safer.”