A Vulnerable Pennsylvania Detainee Commits Suicide Continued

In the case referred to in the first part of this series, the jail supervisor claimed not to know that the decedent was vulnerable to suicide.

In Texas, special jail inspections are conducted after custodial deaths occur. Jail documentation and videos are reviewed and investigated. When these inspections end with citations being issued to jails, the citations themselves sometimes suggest that negligence potentially occurred.

It has been determined that face-to-face observations are crucial for the protection of inmates. Written documentation must be maintained plus all jails were required to install electronic sensors or cameras capable of recording the mandatory personal observations of detainees in high-risk cells or groups of cells by August 31, 2020.

A 37-Year-Old Detainee Dies by Suicide

In June 2023, a 37-year-old detainee died from “self-inflicted suicide/hanging” in Llano County Jail, which is at 2001 N State Hwy 16, Llano, TX 78643. Afterwards, a special jail inspection was conducted. A Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) inspector found the jail noncompliant with Rule §275.1-Regular Observation by Jailers, which reads as follows:

Every facility shall have the appropriate number of jailers at the facility 24 hours each day. Facilities shall have an established procedure for documented, face-to-face observation of all inmates by jailers no less than once every 60 minutes. Observation shall be performed at least every 30 minutes in areas where inmates known to be assaultive, potentially suicidal, mentally ill, or who have demonstrated bizarre behavior are confined.

Learn more in Part 1 of this ongoing series.

One of the purposes of this site is to provide information that is helpful to detainees in city in county jails in Texas. On this website, there is no intention to imply that any person or institution has been involved in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor