Ashley Elizabeth Maxwell was booked into Gregg County Jail on May 24, 2022. The custodial death report (CDR) with details of her tragic death indicates that she was booked on charges of criminal trespass and resisting arrest. Because of a documented history of drug abuse and mental illness, she was placed on suicide watch. Housed in a multiple-occupancy cell, Ms. Maxwell used a cable wire to hang herself. She died in the custody of Gregg County Jail on May 26, 2022.

Topics Covered in Suicide Prevention Training

A course for Suicide Detection and Prevention in Jails describes its suggested audience as Texas city and county jail staff responsible for oversight and control of inmates within a jail facility. It is one of the Intermediate Core Courses that the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement (TCOLE) requires for county corrections officers to receive intermediate certification.

The course description states that many of the suicides that occur in local jails can be prevented if jailers possess knowledge of behaviors exhibited by suicidal detainees. An understanding of mental impairments that inmates may exhibit is also important.

Further, the course description states jail suicide prevention involves the application of a thorough program aimed at preventing suicide that includes the following:

• Intake screening, staff training, communication between jailers, proper and secure housing, observations made at the required intervals, rapid intervention, and social exchanges.

The following are among the topics covered:

• Booking of inmates
• The factors that influence suicidal behavior
• How to handle a custodial suicide/attempted suicide
• Interaction with suicidal inmates
• Mental illness or mental retardation
• Overview of jail suicide
• Suicide prevention plans

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and this continuing series.

The purpose of this website is to provide helpful resources of benefit to city and county jail inmates in Texas, whether currently or formerly detained. On this site, there is no intention of implicating individuals or institutions in wrongdoing.

–Guest Contributor