PRINCIPAL OFFICE: DALLAS, TEXAS: (214) 670-9989 | TOLL FREE: (866) 670-9989

Do the Mentally Ill in Texas Jails Get Proper Care?-6

iStock 123166440 2

Custodial suicides that occurred in California county jails were studied in an effort to pinpoint issues leading to a suicide attempt. The following are some of those cases, and the names of the deceased are not included:

  • An 18-year-old had been in a California county jail for three weeks. He was awaiting a trial on drug and vehicle code charges when he hanged himself with a bedsheet. According to a jailer, a possible trigger was that he missed a visit from his girlfriend.
  • A 35-year-old child molester told his cellmate repeatedly that he was frightened because a video of his victim was about to be shown in court. He killed himself after one of those conversations.

In the case of the 18-year-old, the family accused the jail staff of giving their loved one a mental examination that was only superficial in nature. The teen had not been placed on suicide watch despite the fact that he had a history of suffering from delusions and depression and had been declared mentally disabled by the state.

A Detainee with Severe Mental Problems Commits Suicide

A 22-year-old was hospitalized after he exhibited psychotic behavior. The family was unable to convince the hospital to keep him. Not long after that, the young man allegedly stabbed a woman to death while trying to take her car at a Redondo Beach shopping mall. Learn more in the next segment. Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of this series.

Helping detainees in Texas jails is one of this website’s purposes. There is no intention of insinuating that any person or entity has been involved in unlawful activity.

–Guest Contributor

Written By: author image smchugh
author image smchugh