Seven Years After The Sandra Bland Act, We Still Have A Long Way To Go
The continued struggle for justice and accountability in Texas.
https://www.lonestarleft.com/p/seven-years-after-the-sandra-bland
On July 10, 2015, Sandra Bland was pulled over in Prairie View, Texas, for failing to signal a lane change. The exchange between Bland and the State Trooper who pulled her over escalated and led to Bland’s arrest and charge of assaulting a police officer. Three days later, Sandra Bland was found dead in her jail cell of an apparent suicide. Family members and activists have questioned the official ruling since the beginning.
Democrats in the Texas Legislature, led by Garnet Coleman and John Whitmire, worked diligently to pass the Sandra Bland Act in Texas, taking a step toward making sure incidents like this didn’t happen again. Greg Abbott signed the Sandra Bland Act into law on June 15, 2017. Under the Sandra Bland Act, the following was supposed to happen:
Diverts individuals with mental health or substance abuse issues to treatment instead of jail when appropriate.
Requires independent investigations for any deaths in jails.
Mandates law enforcement training on de-escalation and handling mental health crises.
Called for electronic sensors or cameras to ensure timely inmate checks, especially for those at risk.
Law enforcement must notify a magistrate within 12 hours if a detainee is suspected of having a mental illness or intellectual disability. Certain defendants can be released on personal bond if assessed as having mental health or intellectual disabilities but are competent to stand trial.
Strengthens requirements for law enforcement to collect and report data on traffic stops, deaths, serious injuries, and assaults in jails.
Today marks the seventh anniversary of the Sandra Bland Act.
Has the situation got better? What’s changed?