Javonte Lakendrick Myers, age 28, was discovered nonresponsive in his cell at Tarrant County Jail the afternoon of June 19, 2020. An emergency medical team from Fort Worth, Texas, declared Myers dead 22 minutes later. No further details of the custodial death were initially provided.

In the weeks leading up to the above-mentioned event, custodial deaths at Tarrant County Jail had occurred at a significant rate. Jail is not meant to be a place where people die, and the matter is typically addressed with seriousness.

The government prepared a study in 2013 that reviewed the causes of deaths in Texas county jails over a five-year period. The study showed that, at 54%, the primary cause of inmate deaths during that period was illness, referred to as natural causes. At 31%, suicide was the second most common cause of custodial deaths. Alcohol and drug intoxication was the third leading cause of death, at 7%.

The study explored how the death rates in jails compare to the national average of the same types of deaths. Only custodial suicide was reflected as a higher death rate than suicides among people in the general population. According to a respected correctional suicide expert, the jail suicide rate is as much as three times greater than those not incarcerated.

The Texas Commission on Jail Standards determines the standards by which county jails in the state must operate. The issue of suicide prevention is explored by TCJS periodically so that any known methods to improve jail procedures could be adopted.

Learn more in this ongoing series.

This website offers posts for the purpose of helping inmates, current or former, detained in Texas county jails. At no time is it intended on this site to denote that institutions or individuals have engaged in improprieties.

–Guest Contributor