Tyler Jay Huffman was placed in a detox cell after he was booked into Tarrant County Jail in Austin, Texas. The custodial death report shows that the 38-year-old was detoxing from unknown narcotics. Five days later, on September 10, 2021, Mr. Huffman was discovered dead in his single cell. 

Jails have become a primary place where mentally ill individuals in need of mental health care end up in Texas. It is widely recognized that this fact is highly unfortunate and contributes to the high rate of suicides in jails. Within a report by a watchdog group in Texas, various sheriffs in the state comment on the issue. Sheriffs invariably acknowledge that jails are ill-equipped for the task of providing adequate mental healthcare for inmates experiencing a mental health crisis. 

As a result of extensive research on the link between custodial deaths and mental illness, the following are recommendations for preventing avoidable fatalities in jails: 

• Divert low-risk arrestees in need of mental healthcare into treatment facilities through an alliance between local mental health providers, county courts, and law enforcement.
• Implement stronger screening, more effective observation, safer housing, and referral to treatment to prevent suicide and self-harm in county jails.
• Work to prevent seclusion, restraint, and uses of force against mentally ill inmates.
• Ensure inmate access to needed or previously prescribed medications, implement peer support groups, and develop detox protocols.

Learn more in Part 1 of this ongoing series. 

Suggesting that wrongs have occurred on the part of individuals or institutions is never intended on this website. Helping inmates in Texas county jails is the purpose of posts on this site. 

–Guest Contributor