After the death of a family man who had been incarcerated on a minor charge, his family began searching for answers. The circumstances surrounding the man’s death have been investigated and details follow.

The man arrested on a misdemeanor charge had struggled with opioid addiction and mental health issues for years before being arrested. The day after being booked into jail, he threw himself down a stairwell and swallowed toxic chemicals from an ice pack.

The inmate was placed on suicide watch and given a heavy hospital type down to wear, which is called a “suicide smock.” The policy at the jail was to monitor the inmate, as well as all suicidal detainees, on a continuous basis.

On the sixth day of his incarceration, the man was taken to a holding cell and given a jail uniform. The cell did not have a video monitor or provide a clear view of the man for deputies conducting observations. Left by himself, he took a strip of cloth and hung himself by looping it over the door. He was discovered 30 minutes after he arrived at the cell, and he was unconscious. He did not survive.  

The family of the inmate points out that, although the inmate was put on suicide watch, he was given both means and opportunity to commit suicide. The Sheriff’s Office denies that misconduct occurred in connection with the man’s death. The custodial death was the seventh in the jail in a 15-month period. The Sheriff at that jail, at one point, said that custodial suicide is a problem of epidemic proportions.

See Part 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, Part 12 and continuing installments.

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–Guest Contributor