WFAA-TV News Team Investigates Deaths in County Jails

Texas is a law-and-order state, and sympathy for people arrested and put in jail is rare. That’s why it’s significant when lawmakers here act to protect the rights and lives of those behind bars. It wouldn’t have happened without the WFAA-TV News investigation, “Jailed To Death,” which looked into why people were dying in county jails run by LaSalle Corrections, a private, for-profit company.

As a direct result of the investigation, state lawmakers passed a new law that strengthens training requirements for county jailers across the state – not just in those run by for-profit companies. It also mandated that any time a for-profit company’s jails fail inspections they receive additional scrutiny from the state jail commission.

Reporters Tanya Eiserer and Jason Trahan, the 2019 Silver Showcase winners, took a moment to visit with Foundation Chairman Mark Morrison to discuss their award-winning reporting.