Texas Justice Initiative found that the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office has reported that 67 percent of its deaths in the last 15 years have been from natural causes. But advocates have countered that even one life lost is a tragedy and that Waybourn’s approach to running the jail has made it more dangerous for the people held there. According to a data comparison done by the Texas Justice Initiative, it is true that there have been fewer deaths in the Tarrant County sheriff’s custody than in counties with similar jail populations during that same time frame. Other local officials, like County Judge Glen Whitley, have defended the number of fatalities at the jail by saying it is in keeping with comparable counties. And many people-including county commissioners-have expressed concerns about a lack of transparency and accountability on the part of the sheriff’s office. Since January, 10 people incarcerated at the Tarrant County Jail have died. “In this election, specifically, what we know is that Sheriff Waybourn is a danger to our community,” said Sindy Mata, an organizer with the group New Sheriff Now Tarrant County, which has been trying to replace Waybourn, “whether it’s through 287(g) or the perpetuation of harmful rhetoric or the continuation of a culture that is resulting in deaths of people detained in the jail.” Locally, criminal justice reform advocates see an opportunity to change policies to curb deportations, keep people out of jail, and improve conditions for those who are locked up. Now both parties have their eyes on Tarrant County, and bigger players have gotten involved in the sheriff race O’Rourke has stumped for Keyes and former governor Rick Perry has endorsed Waybourn. After going for Donald Trump for president in 2016, the county voted for Beto O’Rourke over Ted Cruz for Senate in 2018. And Keyes plans to get rid of the office’s 287(g) agreement with ICE.ĭemographics in Tarrant County are shifting, and electoral politics seem to be following. He has committed to changing the jail’s approach to healthcare and diverting more people to treatment facilities. He wants to significantly reduce the jail population by making fewer arrests and advocates an end to cash bail. Keyes believes the nation is “at a tipping point” regarding criminal justice reform, and his platform reflects what would amount to serious changes for the county.
Next month, Waybourn is facing off against Democratic challenger Vance Keyes, a Marine Corps veteran who has worked for the Fort Worth Police Department for two decades. Locally, critics have decried his cooperation with ICE, poor conditions in the county jail system, and his unwillingness to take measures to reduce the jail population during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sheriff Bill Waybourn has gained notoriety outside the county, which is home to Fort Worth, for his Trumpian posturing, especially his fear mongering remarks at a White House press briefing on immigration last year. In Tarrant County, historically a Republican stronghold in Texas, a sheriff election is shaking up the status quo. Jail deaths and ICE cooperation have defined the first term of Tarrant County Sheriff Bill Waybourn, who faces a tough challenge in next month’s election.
0 kommentar(er)
