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A civilian committee assigned to review the Waller County jail in which Sandra Bland, 28, died, has recommended sweeping changes for the system, including better mental health screenings, a report released Tuesday said.
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The committee conducted research into the jail largely due to Bland's death in May 2015. The African-American woman was found with a trash bag around her head three days after being taken to the Texas jail. Officials pronounced it a suicide.
Bland had been an activist against police brutality and violence and the conditions of her death became part of the "Say Her Name" campaign, which endeavored to bring police violence against African-American women to light.
State trooper Brian Encinia pulled Bland over for a routine traffic violation, and arrested her after an alleged conflict. Encinia accused her of assault. After authorities reviewed the dashcam footage from Encinia's car, he was placed on administrative duty for failing to follow proper traffic stop procedures.
The committee also recommended the construction of a facility to replace the current jail, which does not meet safety and security requirements. It added that body cameras should be used to record encounters between officers and civilians.
Critics have faulted police officers for what they consider brutal treatment at the time of Bland's arrest, and a lack of supervision and proper facilities for her death.
The Waller County jail, where Bland was held, had been cited by a state monitor for not doing enough to keep an eye on inmates and properly filling out intake forms, Brandon Wood, the executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards, told a Texas House of Representatives committee in July 2015.
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