Adan Ricardo Torres was booked into the Travis County Sheriff’s Office Correctional Complex in Austin, Texas, on October 26, 2021. Less than a month later, on November 19, 2021, the 35-year-old died as a result of suicide.

From the article about suicides referenced at the start of this series, we find the following statistics.

• In the years 2001 through 2019, the number of suicides in local jails in Texas came to 448. This number was followed by Florida with 333 suicides. California had the most, with 615. 

Suicide being the leading cause of custodial deaths, it is an issue that has been explored extensively in recent years. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) has included suicide prevention in the guidelines for the operation of Texas county jails. 

The Sandra Bland Act

The issue of jail suicide in Texas came under great scrutiny back in 2015 following the high-profile death of Sandra Bland. Her death by suicide that followed a controversial arrest caught the world’s attention. The Sandra Bland Act, Senate Bill 1849, was eventually passed. The following are some explanations about part of what is contained in the legislation:

• Officer training has increased for the purpose of general de-escalation as well as de-escalation tactics related to mental health issues. These tactics of de-escalation are designed to help ensure that members of the public and the law enforcement community are both able to safely go home after encounters between police and civilians. 

Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

Suggesting that a person or individual has participated in wrongdoing is not intended on this website. Each post is offered as a resource of benefit to Texas county jail inmates.

–Guest Contributor