Texas County Jails Cited Regarding Deficiencies in Supervision, the Best Deterrent to Suicide

In county and city jails, suicide is the number one cause of death among inmates. According to an article in the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, there is no greater deterrent to suicide than human supervision. Yet, inspectors with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) frequently cite Texas county jails due to a lack of compliance with the requirements regarding supervision.

Studies on specific acts of suicide in jails reveal the different ways inmates find to take their own lives. It has been found very difficult to eliminate this very real threat. Suicide-proof cells have been attempted without success. The following are examples of methods that are meant to help prevent suicide, though none are as effective as supervision:

• Design and provide cells that are free of protrusions to which a ligature can be fastened for the purpose of effecting suicide by hanging (very difficult to achieve).
• Reduce the number of obvious anchors that could be used to commit suicide.
• Make sure air vents have holes too small to allow the threading of a sheet.
• Install break-away shower heads.
• Hold mattresses off the floor with raised concrete slabs.
• One thing that is important and that jails do tend to achieve is ensuring that the entire interior of each cell is visible from the walkway.

Learn more in Parts 1 through 15, Part 16, Part 17, and this continuing series.

This site is meant as a resource to help Texas county and city jail inmates. It is never intended on this website to accuse an institution or person of participating in misdeeds.

–Guest Contributor