Mark Wayne Stovall was in Upshur County Jail in Gilmer, Texas, when he died at age 53 on April 5, 2022. He arrived at the jail on his March 31, 2022, birthday. On the day of his death, Mr. Stovall was found unresponsive in the holding cell where he was housed. According to the custodial death report (CDR), he died of natural causes.

Suicide prevention was the impetus behind the ambitious Sandra Bland Act that was signed into law in Texas on June 15, 2017. Research on suicides in Texas that have occurred since that time has, so far, indicated that there has been no change in the average number of county jail suicides. Perhaps there are other laws and rules that interfere. For instance, a security rule prohibits jailers in some county jails from entering a cell alone under any circumstances. Sadly, 10 minutes of waiting for another staff member can mean life or death for an inmate who has attempted suicide or who is perhaps suffering a heart attack.

The director of a watchdog group has pointed out that jails are not only understaffed, but they are also frequently highly understaffed. With a shortage of jailers, a deputy may have to choose between checking on a suicidal individual or responding to a crisis such as a fight down the hall.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.

Implying that any individual or organization has been a participant in wrongdoing is never an intention on this website. Benefiting inmates in county jails in Texas is the purpose of posts on this site.

–Guest Contributor