A Rise in Inmate Suicides at Macomb County Jail Sparks Policy Changes
Since May 2017, there have been three inmate suicides at Macomb County Jail, Michigan. In the past three years prior to 2017, there was one inmate death at the jail. There is widespread concern over the tragedy of three deaths in such a short time. In response to the suicides, policies and procedures at the jail are currently in review. In addition, one change has already been made. Inmates are now being checked on every half hour instead of every 50 minutes.
The names of the inmates who committed suicide in the jail, all by hanging, have not been released. The following is information about each:
- A 28-year-old woman booked into the jail on March 31, 2017, for alleged solicitation of murder, contempt of court, and tampering with an electronic monitoring device killed herself on May 6.
- On July 22, a 49-year-old man committed suicide while in the jail. He had been booked for a third offense of driving while intoxicated as well as operating a motor vehicle with a denied or revoked driver’s license and failure to stop after a collision. He had been jailed for nine days when he was found hanging in his cell.
- On Wednesday, July 26, a 34-year-old man was the latest to commit suicide in the county lockup. He was jailed 16 days earlier on a charge of second-degree criminal sexual conduct and possession of a controlled substance greater than 25 grams.
According to Macomb County Sheriff Anthony Wickersham, the jail has measures in place to identify inmates who are at risk for suicide. Once such inmates are identified, they are placed into the mental health unit, where well-checks are more frequent.
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