Freeman Emmanuel Verne was housed in cell MF07 in the Mental Health Unit at Bexar County Jail on July 2, 2023, when he was found there in an unresponsive state. at 7:36 AM on the day Mr. Verne was pronounced deceased, a deputy called a Code 1 Blue (medical emergency) on Mr. Freeman’s behalf. The deputy and Special Emergency Response Team (SERT) entered Mr. Freeman’s cell to clean it and administer his prescribed medications.

Training Curriculum on Suicide Detection Prevention in Jails Continued

The U.S. Department of Justice makes a publication available to jails called Training Curriculum on Suicide Detection and Prevention in Jails and Lockups. There are numerous reasons the manual was prepared and made available to jails and lockups. An introduction to the curriculum states that suicide prevention begins at the point of arrest. There is no exact time frame for when the act of suicide can occur. Therefore, it can happen at any point starting when a person is being taken into the custody of law enforcement.

Most suicides happen within the first 24 hours of incarceration, but many occur after the first day, as well. Equally present in jails and prisons are issues of custodial care, supervision, and other liability concerns as well as their relationship to jail suicide. In jail, as regards suicide prevention, the first minute of an inmate’s incarceration is as important as their last.

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this continuing series.

Providing helpful resources to detainees in Texas jails and their families is one of the purposes of this website. There is no intention on this site of implying that a person or organization has been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor