The Importance of Training Jailers the Myths About Suicide

It’s not difficult to grasp the concept that lives may be saved if jailers receive training that may dispel errant personal beliefs about suicide. There are many widespread myths about suicide. Misinformation might lead an otherwise conscientious person to make tragic errors in following through in all seriousness with steps in suicide prevention.

After custodial deaths have occurred, there have been more than a few stories alleging that jailers encouraged suicidal detainees to go ahead and do it. In some cases, the background of a detainee was an evident indication that the person was in serious danger of taking his or her own life and yet the at-risk individual was not frequently and strictly monitored. Many families have been devastated by the loss of loved ones due to these types of breaches in the performance of jailers with regard to suicide prevention.

News Stories Support Supposition that Suicide Prevention Training is of Crucial Importance

In a 2019 story, four officers in a county jail outside Texas were suspended due to allegations that they stood by for 7 minutes and watched an 18-year-old attempt suicide, after which that teen died from injuries sustained in that attempt.

A deputy in command at a county jail in New York City, New York, allegedly watched a detainee commit suicide and did nothing to stop it. Shockingly, she also stopped others from intervening. Other deputies were going to prevent him from using his bedsheet to hang himself inside his cell, but they were commanded by their supervising officer to take no such action.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3 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