Victoria Gray
Brazoria County, Angleton, Texas

Victoria Gray, 18, hung herself in the Brazoria County Jail on September 2, 2014 after the jail staff did not respond to her numerous pleas for medication and help. Victoria had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and other psychiatric illnesses since her early teens. The jail staff knew of her diagnoses, knew what medications she was supposed to be receiving, and knew that she was at risk for suicidal behavior, as she had attempted suicide there five months previously.
This most recent arrest came about because Victoria was on probation with the requirement that she take psychiatric medication. Her family called the mental health response team of the local police department for help because Victoria was in a psychotic state. When she was jailed for violation of probation, she ended her life.
Below, her father, John Gray III, speaks before the Texas Senate Criminal Justice committee on September 22, 2015, about his daughter’s death, the Brazoria County Jail’s failure to provide proper care for her, and the subsequent lack of accountability for the jail.
To learn more about the case, read stories from the Houston Chronicle and Think Progress.