The Texas Rangers opened an investigation into the custodial death of 52-year-old Georgia Kay Baldwin after her death on 9/14/2021. Prior to her death, Ms. Baldwin had been an inmate in Tarrant County Jail in Austin, Texas, since April 27, 2021. Her cause of death is unknown and pending the results of an autopsy.

Suicide Prevention Training

The Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) offers an Intermediate online course on Suicide Detection and Prevention in Jails. The information has been offered as training for Texas county jail staff members, as required by minimum jail standards set by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS).

In the opening to the course curriculum, TCOLE asserts that more than a third of all jail deaths are the result of a suicide. In addition, almost all custodial suicides are preventable if the recognized standards and practices are adhered to. Also, key factors are identified in the prevention of jail suicide that will facilitate a successful program. Those key factors are:

• Effective supervisors;
• Trained jailers and mental health and medical professionals on the staff;
• A capable, proactive administration; and
• A suicide prevention plan that is well thought out.

The key areas for developing a suicide prevention plan as laid out by TCJS are:

• Identification/screening
• Staff training
• Staff communications
• Supervision
• Housing
• Intervention
• Reporting
• Follow-up/review

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

There is no intention on this website to make a suggestion that an individual or entity has been a participant in misdeeds. The purpose of this site is to provide resources helpful to county jail inmates in Texas, whether they are currently or were formerly incarcerated.

–Guest Contributor