At a county jail in a state outside Texas, a Sheriff explained that the jail has no separate housing for inmates with mental health or medical issues. Therefore, he said that the inmates categorized as being at risk are confined in solitary. Each of them spends 23 hours per day in a cell 6 by 9 feet in measure where the lights never go out. He acknowledged that the conditions are inhumane but that it is necessary to ensure the inmates survive their incarceration.

The Sheriff said that funding is sought so that the 66-year-old detention facility can be replaced with another that meets current requirements.

An expert on suicide in jails and prisons said her research revealed that budgets are only part of the problem. The fact that jails serve to hold inmates in need of drug treatment or medical care, mentally ill individuals, and others simply awaiting trial is a tremendous burden that is more than should be asked of one institution.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, and Part 6 of this continuing series. In the next segment, learn about a county jail and a state with a high number of custodial deaths, many of which are suicides, and the story of one woman’s tragic death in particular.

Each of the posts on this site is meant to provide help to current and former Texas inmates as well as their families. There is never an intention to imply that an institution or person has engaged in impropriety of any kind.

–Guest Contributor