On April 23, 2021, Brian Christopher Jenkins died in Paris, Texas, at the age of 40 in Lamar County Jail. He had been designated as a potentially suicidal inmate. Although he was given suicide watch clothing, he was also provided with a mattress cover, which he used to hang himself.

Jailers in Texas must be trained in how to identify, supervise, handle, and document potentially suicidal inmates. The guidelines are included in the Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan section of the Texas Administrative Code. Other aspects of the suicide prevention plan include placing at-risk inmates in appropriate housing. Because suicide is a very real threat among Texas inmates, jailers are also trained regarding intervention and emergency treatment. The procedures include actions to take prior to an occurrence of a suicide attempt and during an attempt at suicide.

Inmate supervision is an essential component in Texas county jail plans to prevent suicide. Prisoners who are identified as potentially suicidal are checked in face-to-face observations by jailers every half hour whereas inmates among the general population of Texas jails must be checked every hour at most.

In a Jail Inspection Report dated April 12, 2021, a TCJS inspector indicates that the required 30-minute-at-most face-to-face checks of potentially suicidal inmates were not being conducted as required. The inspector noted that jailers exceeded the 30-minute time frame for observing inmates at risk for suicide.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

This website provides posts as helpful resources for prisoners currently or previously detained in a Texas county jail. There is no intent on this site to suggest that individuals or organizations have been involved in improprieties.

–Guest Contributor