Harris County jail deaths surpass last year's total
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Harris County Jail. Photo: Karen Warren/Houston Chronicle via Getty Images
At least 11 people have died in the Harris County Jail this year — already surpassing 2024's total — pointing to a jail system that critics say is broken.
Why it matters: Harris County's jail has been under scrutiny for years over in-custody deaths, repeated violations of state jail standards and chronic overcrowding. Advocates call the jail deaths preventable and say they could be avoided with better mental health care and support services.
Catch up quick: In 2022, at least 27 people died in custody, the highest number since at least 2000.
- There were 19 deaths in 2023 and 10 in 2024.
- The Harris County Jail has three notices of non-compliance in 2025 by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards
Zoom in: This year's in-custody deaths include three people who died within 48 hours in June, all shortly after being booked.
- The total does not include 32-year-old Alexis Jovany Cardenas, who died after an altercation during his release. His case is under state review and could bring the in-custody death toll to 12.
The other side: The jail has averaged nearly 16 deaths per year over the past decade — "well below average" for a facility its size, Jason Spencer, communications adviser for Harris County sheriff's office, tells Axios.
- He also points to a case backlog in criminal courts. The average length of stay this week is 169 days, per the jail dashboard — about three times the state average, Spencer notes.
- "We strive to do everything in our power to ensure that people leave our jail at least as healthy as they were the day we received them," Spencer says, pointing to the jail's $97 million health care operation run by Harris Health plus $12 million for the Harris Center for Mental Health's services.
State of play: Since January, the jail population has dropped by about 9%, District Attorney Sean Teare — who campaigned on easing crowding — announced in May.
- More than 560 people were diverted to mental health programs from January to June 2025, per the district attorney's office — part of an effort to cut down on unnecessary jail bookings.
By the numbers: As of Tuesday, the jail held around 8,800 people, with more than 1,400 additional detainees in private facilities in Louisiana and Mississippi, according to the jail dashboard.
- While outsourcing helps ease the detainee-to-staff ratio, it also reduces the incentive for systemic reform, says Krish Gundu, executive director of the Texas Jail Project. Her organization is pushing to cancel the contracts. The sheriff's office says it's working on a plan.
The big picture: About 80% of the people in the jail have mental health issues, per the jail dashboard, and Gundu says there aren't enough preventive measures in place and no proper care once they're in jail.
- Sheriff Ed Gonzalez told Houston Public Media that the jail isn't meant to handle "social ills," but "we're the largest mental health hospital."
- "We're watching the public mental health system fail horribly for these people. Not only does it push people into the criminal system, but then once you're in the jail ... it just keeps happening over and over again," Gundu tells Axios.
The latest: The most recent death in jail was Harold Alexander Jr., 62, who died July 10 after detention officers found him unresponsive in his cell. He had been in custody for 16 days on misdemeanor charges and had a documented history of mental illness.
- His family is seeking answers about his death.