Brandon Kyle Taylor was only 31 years old when he died in Young County Jail on March 21, 2023. He was booked into the Graham, Texas, jail on September 1, 2022. The custodial death report (CDR) says that he hung himself using bedding.  

Suicide Statistics

An in-depth report on suicide in Texas jails says that, within the state, the median age of people who commit suicide in county jails is 33. Most at risk were individuals aged 25 to 34, with more than 37% of the jail suicides. The age group also is representative of the largest segment of the jail population (32%).

Several studies on jail suicide indicate that the risk of suicide grows with age. While 18 to 24 have a suicide rate of 31 per 100,000, inmates age 55 and older take their own life at a rate more than double that (72 suicides per 100,00 inmates).

Summary of Risk Characteristics for Jail Suicides

The most common characteristics of inmates who are at risk for suicide follow:

• The inmate’s age is 25 to 24.
• The inmate is Caucasian.
• The inmate has multiple charges.
• The inmate is a violent offender.

Other at-risk considerations are (1) small jails, and (2) single-cell housing.

Low-Risk Characteristics for Jail Suicides will be covered in the next installment of this series.

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

With the continuing goal of helping Texas prisoners held in a local county or municipal jail, this website was created. There is no intention of making accusations against organizations or people on this site.

–Guest Contributor