Detainee in Liberty County Texas Dies After Suicide Attempt
Suicide attempts are alarmingly frequent in local jails, where most detainees are still awaiting adjudication. This is the case in Texas and throughout the U.S. Not all custodial suicides make the news, and yet there are numerous reports of these tragic deaths every week. News of jail suicide attempts that have failed because of the diligence of jail staff is rare, and occasions such as these may occur more frequently than it would seem.
Many times, after a jail suicide, family members of the deceased ask how it could have happened since they told the jail staff repeatedly that their loved one was vulnerable to suicide. Could it be that something is missing in minimum jail standards that could prevent many suicides? Or why does this happen so often?
A Family Questions Why Their 21-Year-Old Loved One on Suicide Watch Died from Suicide
Just after midnight on September 15, 2023, a young man in a city jail outside Texas was found dead in a cell. He had used a telephone cord as a ligature, and no efforts to revive him were successful. He was pronounced deceased an hour later. The family asks whether the jail was negligent in their oversight of a suicidal detainee.
When the man was taken to the jail, the jail staff was informed by the arresting officer of the following facts:
- The 21-year-old was suicidal, and
- He scratched himself on the neck and chest with a knife during the domestic incident.
Learn more in this ongoing series, including details about a recent custodial suicide in Liberty County, Texas.
Providing helpful resources to detainees in Texas jails is one of the purposes of this website. Accusing persons or institutions of wrongdoing it never intended on this site.
–Guest Contributor
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