Tasha Lavergne, age 32, was in a holding cell for prisoners on suicide watch at San Jacinto County Jail in Coldspring, Texas, and the room was equipped with a phone that had a cord. Ms. Lavergne used the phone cord to strangle herself. After her third attempt, she was discovered on the floor, but efforts to save her life were ultimately unsuccessful.

The following continues with information from a training course on suicide prevention for Texas jailers that was prepared by the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement.

Key areas to address in developing a suicide prevention plan are:

• Identifying high-risk inmates during the screening process
• Staff training
• Staff communication
• Intervention
• Supervision
• Appropriate Housing
• Reporting
• Follow-up/review

Myth-Busting Facts About Suicide

The following are facts about suicide jailers should be aware of as each is a fact that refutes myths:

• Prior to committing suicide, people usually express suicidal intentions in direct or indirect statements.
• The incidents of suicide are significantly higher in jails as compared with the general population.
• Not all extremely unhappy individuals who committed suicide were mentally ill.
• Discussing the topic of suicide when showing interest in an individual’s welfare is never the reason he or she commits suicide.
• An individual is at a much greater risk for committing suicide if they have made previous attempts.

Learn more in Part 1 and this continuing series.

The hope in providing posts on this website is that the information will help inmates now or formerly housed in Texas county jails. There is no intention to make any kind of implication that persons or entities have engaged in wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor