Activists hope indictment in Texas jail death prompts change

By JUAN A. LOZANO
Associated Press

HOUSTON (AP) — Attorneys and community activists in Texas say they hope a former sheriff’s office detention officer’s indictment in an inmate’s death will prompt changes in the state’s largest county jail. The facility has been under scrutiny amid overcrowding and a slew of recent deaths. Eric Morales faces a manslaughter charge in the death of Jaquaree Simmons, who was found unconscious in his cell at the Harris County Jail in 2021. Medical examiners ruled the death a homicide from injuries to his head. Court records do not list an attorney for Morales. Community activists say overcrowding and understaffing at the county jail has created dangerous conditions for people held at the facility.