At age 32, while incarcerated at Terry County Jail in Brownfield, Texas, Rodney Shane Howard made a suicide attempt on September 12, 2019. As a result of injuries sustained in that attempt, he died at Brownfield Regional Medical Center on September 23, 2019.

A Jail Inspection Report that was released on April 18, 2018, reflected non-compliance with regard to at least two jail requirements that affect inmate safety and have a potential impact on the effectiveness of suicide prevention. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) establishes minimum jail requirements and achieves enforcement primarily through annual inspections of Texas county jails. The following are details on the inspection report mentioned above.

Staff was Not Provided with Required Classification Training

Every suicide prevention plan in Texas county jails must provide for training that includes the classification of prisoners. Jailers are to be trained for a minimum of four hours on the procedures, principles, and instruments for the following:

• Classification assessments
• Housing assignments
• Reassessments
• Inmate needs

The following are notes by a TCJS inspector regarding lack of compliance in regard to this training:

• While reviewing documentation on inmate classification, it was discovered that all jailers at the facility are engaged in the process of classifying inmates, yet none of them have been trained in the requisite four-hour classification training that minimum jail standards require.

See Part 1 and this continuing series.

The impetus for providing posts on this website is a desire to assist inmates at county jails in Texas, whether they are current or former prisoners. At no time is there an intention to infer that persons or institutions have engaged in improprieties.

–Guest Contributor