Emerging Details In Sandra Bland Case Point To Faults In The Criminal Justice System

Almost two weeks have passed since Illinois native Sandra Bland was pulled over by police for a moving violation. Within three days, she was found dead in her jail cell. Police say Sandra Bland killed herself. Friends, family, and activists say police killed her. But emerging details from the case point to the criminal justice system as a whole for culpability and liability, from improper policing to the lack of checks on Bland following an intake report noting at least one previous suicide attempt in 2014. So who really killed Sandra Bland?

Texas DA to speak shortly regarding #SandraBland's autopsy. Watch @CNN for the report: http://t.co/OeNACkDx80 @CNNgo pic.twitter.com/xJwdqFCCq8

— OutFrontCNN (@OutFrontCNN) July 23, 2015

Critics lay blame for Sandra Bland’s death squarely on the shoulders of Trooper Brian Encinia, the officer who pulled Bland over. Following multiple reviews of the officer’s version of events coupled with the suspicious dashcam video, analysts conclude lawful but poor policing led to Bland’s arrest. Former police officer and current University of South Carolina law professor Seth Stoughton told NPR that Encinia “exacerbated a situation where confrontation was entirely avoidable.”

The first [failure] is the officer’s approach to Miss Bland’s irritation. He had the opportunity to connect and try to mitigate any of the tension of that encounter, and he didn’t.”

Director of Texas Department of Public Safety Steven McGraw said Encinia did not comply with proper procedure and has assigned the trooper to administrative duties.

“We have certain procedures in place, and he did not comply with those procedures.”

Taking the forefront of the case now is Sandra Bland’s mental health status, both at the time of arrest and leading up to her death. Friends and family reported that Bland would never kill herself. During the jail intake assessment, Bland reported that she had previously attempted suicide. Autopsy results released by Waller County DA’s office showed cutting scars on her arms. Though her family’s attorney stated she was never clinically diagnosed, Bland spoke about her mental health struggles openly on social media, including “a little bit of depression as well as PTSD,” unbeknownst to her family, CBC News reported.

I want you guys to know it’s a daily struggle. It’s a daily test. Depression is nothing but the devil.”

Bland’s case is not unique. Time reported on the recent spate of deaths of black women in police custody, some of whom had mental health issues, including Natasha McKenna, who was suffering from schizophrenia when she died after being tasered in a Virginia jail while awaiting psychiatric care. Another example is Tanisha Anderson, who was suffering from bipolar disorder, died in a North Carolina jail. While the origins of Bland’s PTSD remain unknown, it is plausible that her interaction with the officer exacerbated any preexisting mental health issues she may have had, and that Waller County authorities were less than equipped to deal with them.

Legal analyst Philip Holloway told CNN that authorities “should have been monitoring her very closely.” But they barely monitored Bland at all. Waller County Jail, cited by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for violating the law on proper inmate monitoring, claimed to have checked on Bland via intercom before she was found dead.

While the FBI investigation into Sandra Bland’s death is ongoing, as in other high-profile cases, all information is slated for presentation before a grand jury.

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