EDITORIAL: Bexar County officials should be horrified by the deadly conditions in the jail

Whether the measure is 91 deaths in the jail since 2020, or six deaths this year, or three deaths in the past month, or two deaths in the past week, Bexar County officials should be horrified.

They should be responding to the prolonged humanitarian crisis at the Bexar County Adult Detention Center with an urgency and purpose we have yet to see.

Bexar County Judge Peter Sakai and other top officials should be holding a news conference and presenting to the public their action plan to immediately reduce jail deaths while laying the foundation for long-term reforms.

They should make it clear that the status quo is intolerable, and they should outline clear goals and benchmarks the county will meet over the rest of the year.

With 91 people dying in custody over the past six years - making the jail one of the deadliest in Texas - there are many "shoulds." And those "shoulds" have become even more pronounced as three of those detainees died in the past month.

CaSandra Monette Pearson, 29, died May 17. She had sickle cell anemia, and her family has said she struggled with mental health and addiction issues.

Elizabeth Anne Nero, 57, died Thursday due to what officials said likely were detoxification issues.

Reyes Antonio Chaires Jr., 44, died Saturday, also likely because of detoxification issues, officials said.

The status quo is unacceptable. While some people in the jail have been accused of horrific crimes, others are languishing for minor offenses and should be receiving treatment and support outside of jail. Many people are there because of underlying mental health and addiction challenges. All are entitled to the presumption of innocence.

Ultimately, their care while in custody is the responsibility of county officials, which makes jail conditions and safety a reflection of this community's values and humanity.

Here is what should happen in response to the jail's deadly crisis:

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* Sakai and other county officials should hold a news conference outlining an immediate strategy to reduce jail deaths. That news conference should include former San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg, who defeated Sakai in the Democratic primary and likely will serve as the next county judge. Sakai and Nirenberg sharing the stage would signal an urgency that transcends elected politics and help ensure continuity in policies.

* The county should commit to opening a pilot jail diversion center before the end of the year. The Center for Health Care Services has 16 beds for such a pilot, and there is no time to waste.

* The county should outline a long-term plan to build a permanent diversion center.

* By the end of summer, a public dashboard for the Bexar County jail that will offer key metrics should be created. Such a dashboard should include the inmate population; capacity at the jail; the amount of money being spent to house inmates in other counties; links to all Texas Commission on Jail Standards compliance reports; and a list of all jail deaths, including name, age, cause of death and outside investigating agency. We have created our own Bexar County Jail Tracker dashboard to better inform the public and serve as a model for the county to not only replicate but improve upon.

* The county should set clear goals for which the public can hold it responsible. These could include a reduction in jail deaths, number of successful diversions and timelines for projects.

* The county should create a plan to quickly identify inmates at risk of detoxification and build a dedicated space to ensure rapid treatment.

The longer Bexar County officials fail to address the deadly crisis at the jail, the more it will stain their records of public service.

Whether the measure is 91 deaths since 2020, six deaths this year, three deaths in the last month or two deaths in the past week, it is too much. Enough is enough. County officials should be horrified.

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This story was originally published June 9, 2026 at 11:08 AM.