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HOUSTON — The family of Jaleen Anderson, a 29-year-old man who died while outsourced to a private Louisiana jail, has filed a federal lawsuit against Harris County, Sheriff Ed Gonzalez, LaSalle Corrections LLC, and facility nurses, alleging negligence in his care.
Anderson was booked into Harris County Jail in March 2024 on a low-level drug possession charge.
Due to staffing shortages and overcrowding, he was one of many pre-trial detainees transferred to out-of-state facilities.
Speaking at a press conference, his mother, Sarah Knight, vowed to hold those responsible accountable.
“My grandson will never play ball with his father,” she said tearfully. “My granddaughters will never have their dad walk them down the aisle.”
Negligence Allegations
About a week after arriving at LaSalle Correctional Center in Louisiana, Anderson began experiencing dizziness and vomiting.
Hours after being transferred to a hospital, he was pronounced dead. A lawsuit alleges that at least one correctional nurse dismissed his condition, stating, “We don’t send inmates to the hospital for seizures.”
An autopsy report confirmed Anderson died from a seizure disorder compounded by cardiovascular disease.
His mother insists LaSalle officials ignored his repeated pleas for medical attention.
“He suffered multiple seizures and was repeatedly taken to and from the infirmary without receiving proper care,” Knight said. “His death was preventable.”
Three other outsourced Harris County inmates—Billie Davis, Thomas Marshall, and Erik Carlson—also died in the Louisiana facility, according to Knight.
Accountability Questions
Anderson’s death raises questions about oversight. Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton’s office maintains a database of in-custody deaths, but Anderson and the other deceased inmates were not listed as of Thursday.
The Harris County Sheriff’s Office is responsible for reporting outsourced inmate deaths.
In response, Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Jason Spencer said:
“Stringent health and safety criteria, mandated for Harris County detainees, must be adhered to by the LaSalle Correctional Center. The Sheriff’s Office performs inspections to verify that these standards are met.We continue working with LaSalle and other providers to ensure inmate safety.”
Harris County has long struggled with safety violations, staffing shortages, and overcrowding.
To alleviate pressure, the county has outsourced detainees, spending over $58 million this year to house around 1,400 inmates in private facilities—one of the county’s largest expenses.
“This has to stop,” said attorney Sam Harton. “This lawsuit is not just about seeking justice for our clients but exposing a broken system that has gone unchecked for far too long.”
