Zachary Daniels, an inmate at Fort Bend County Jail in Richmond, Texas, was in a cell block for mentally ill detainees. He was alone in his single-occupancy cell when he fashioned a ligature using a bed sheet. Mr. Daniels, age 22, died that day, which was February 4, 2022. 

Suicide Prevention Training

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) requires each county jail in Texas to provide suicide prevention training to staff members annually. The jailers responsible for intake screening must, additionally, have supplemental training. Ultimately, they learn procedures related to recognizing, supervising, documenting, and handling potentially suicidal and mentally ill detainees. Rule §273.5 covers the Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan. Training requirements are detailed in part (a)(1). Several recent jail inspection reports show non-compliance with regard to this rule. The following are inspectors’ notes attached to the alleged violations of minimum jail standards in not providing the training.

December 7-9, 2021, Jail Inspection Report

This county’s suicide prevention operational plan had required 4 hours of suicide prevention training twice per year, but records show that the training has not been provided. 

December 7-9, 2021, Jail Inspection Report

The administration of the county could not produce documentation showing that all employees at the jail had received suicide prevention training annually.

January 5, 2022, Jail Inspection Report

Interviews revealed that suicide prevention training has not been provided to members of the jail staff in the last 12 months.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this series.

Suggesting that any individual or organization has participated in misdeeds is never intended on this website. Posts on this site are meant as helpful resources to help detainees now and previously held in county jails in Texas. 

–Guest Contributor