On the night of May 23, 2019, 36-year-old Christopher Beau Duboise was booked into the Midland County Jail aka Midland County Detention Center in Midland, Texas. Within two hours, he was found with a shirt around his neck in a suicide attempt. Two days later, he died at a hospital from injuries he sustained.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in city and county jails. In Texas, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards determines the minimum jail standards for all county jails. Suicide prevention is given much consideration, and many jail activities are associated with suicide prevention.

The county sheriffs in Texas responsible for jail operations must ensure that members of the jail staff have the required training for identifying potentially suicidal and mentally ill inmates. The jailers assigned to book inmates must have supplemental training to increase the potential for placing inmates in areas of housing where the needed level of supervision is provided.

Jail is not meant to be a place where people go to die, especially considering that not everyone booked into jail is guilty of a crime of any sort. Studies show, however, that inmates are especially at risk for suicide attempts within the first week of incarceration.

Learn more in this continuing series.

The posts on this website are offered as potentially helpful resources to benefit prisoners currently or formerly housed in county jails in Texas. This site never has an intention of suggesting that improprieties have occurred, whether on the part of persons or entities.

–Guest Contributor