Harris County Jail 2025 Death Toll Climbs

By Michael Wilson | Texas Scorecard | August 18, 2025

Harris County Jail hit its 12th in-custody death of 2025 just as officials are preparing to redirect funding to confront chronic understaffing and overcrowding issues.

Last week, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards announced that the death of 32-year-old inmate Alexis Cardenas will officially be classified and investigated as an in-custody death.

Two weeks ago, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office released video footage showing the confrontation that led to Cardenas’ death. At the time, the commission had not yet determined whether it would be treated as an in-custody case. This latest decision now makes Cardenas the 12th in-custody death reported at the Harris County Jail in 2025.

For comparison, the jail recorded 10 in-custody deaths in 2024 and 19 in 2023.

The announcement comes as the jail remains under heavy scrutiny.

Roughly six weeks ago, the Harris County Jail was issued its third non-compliance order by the state. Many of the issues cited stemmed from overcrowding and chronic understaffing. To offset those conditions, Harris County has been forced to send inmates to other facilities across Texas and even out of state, with transfers as far as Louisiana and Mississippi.

Concerns about the jail were compounded this week when the sheriff’s office confirmed that inmate Troy Dugas was mistakenly released from custody. Officials said, “A thorough investigation will be conducted to determine the circumstances that led to Dugas’ erroneous release.”

This follows a similar incident earlier this year, when a capital murder suspect was mistakenly released after a paperwork mix-up with another inmate sharing the same last name.

Meanwhile, Harris County Commissioners have rolled out their proposed 2026 budget, including massive changes to deal with the jail issues. In fiscal year 2025, Harris County spent more than $50 million outsourcing more than 1,200 inmates to Louisiana and Mississippi facilities. Under the proposed 2026 budget, outsourcing funds would drop slightly to $48 million.

Jason Spencer, senior policy and communications advisor for the sheriff’s office, said the department’s long-term objective is to eliminate the need for outsourcing. “The two primary ways to accomplish this are by reducing the amount of time people spend in jail awaiting trial, and by hiring and retaining adequate staff,” Spencer explained.

Jail population numbers have decreased by approximately 1,300 since February, bringing the current total to about 8,600 inmates.

The new budget also boosts the Harris County District Attorney’s Office by an additional $21.4 million, with roughly $18.3 million designated for initiatives aimed at reducing the jail population and addressing violent crime.

Daniel Ramos, executive director of the Office of Management and Budget, struck an optimistic tone: “I can confidently say, for the first time in the four years that I’ve been here, there’s light at the end of the tunnel as it relates to the jail and to outsourcing.”

Ramos added that, while higher costs are expected through 2025 and 2026 due to court backlog reduction efforts, the county could finally see both funding demands and the jail population decline in the coming years.

Michael Wilson

Michael Wilson is a 5th generation Texan, born and raised just outside of Houston, Texas. He is a devout Christian as well as a husband and father of 2 beautiful children. He fights for Houston daily as a radio host on Patriot Talk 920 AM. @sirmichaelwill