On February 10, 2022, Simon Peter Douglas was arrested by Houston Police officers and placed in a single cell at the Harris County Joint Processing Center in Houston, Texas. Almost immediately, he attempted to hang himself with jail-issued clothing. Mr. Douglas was moved to a padded cell, where he repeatedly rammed his head into the door, walls, and a metal grate on the floor; he was pronounced dead three hours after entry into the jail.

Suicide is a common cause of death in Texas jails. A study was done that examined the 140 inmate suicides that had occurred in Texas county jails between 2009 and 2015. The data collected showed that the most common method of suicide was by hanging. Objects used as ligatures by the deceased inmates included bed linens, clothing, telephone cords, and trash bags. 

Suicide prevention is a continuous concern among members of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS), according to TCJS Director Brandon Wood. Among the challenges is maintaining sanitation requirements, which involve the use of trash bags. 

TCJS has been pushing for jails to keep only absolutely necessary items in cells. Shortening telephone cords to prevent them from being used as ligatures has been considered. However, balance must be achieved between allowing inmates to speak to family members and keeping at-risk prisoners safe.

Learn more in this continuing series.

Suggesting that any entity or person has participated in wrongdoing is never intentional on this site. The purpose of this site’s posts is to help prisoners currently or formerly detained in a county jail in Texas.

–Guest Contributor