On February 1, 2022, in a county jail outside of Texas, a 27-year-old inmate was discovered hanging in his cell. He is reportedly in a hospital in critical condition. 

Tragically, suicide is the leading cause of death among inmates in US jails. Part of the responsibility of jailers is to protect the inmates, including taking steps to prevent inmate suicide.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) requires county jails to develop and implement suicide prevention programs. The Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan must include specifics on training, identification procedures for identifying mentally handicapped and potentially suicidal prisoners, housing, communication procedures, inmate supervision, and plans for intervention.

One part of Texas minimum jail standards that would have applied to the above-referenced suicide attempt outside the state is “Intervention and Emergency Treatment.” This encompasses procedures for staff intervention before a suicide attempt has occurred and during a suicide attempt in progress. How to respond when an inmate has suffered a serious deterioration of his or her mental condition is included, as well.

Jail Inspection Report Dated January 3, 2022

Although suicide prevention training is recognized as an important aspect of jail operations, a county jail in Texas was recently recognized as non-compliant. A jail inspection report dated January 3, 2020, shows that the jail was non-compliant with RULE §273.5 (a)(1)-Training. Information from the TCJS inspector follows:

• In 2021, the jail staff was not trained in suicide prevention, although it is required annually.

This website never purposes to suggest that any individual or institution has been involved in wrongdoing. Each of the posts on this site is intended as a resource beneficial to inmates now or previously incarcerated in a county jail in Texas.

–Guest Contributor