Do the Mentally Ill in Texas Jails Get Proper Care?-8
A Detainee with a Psychiatric Condition Commits Suicide While on Suicide Watch
A high-profile death in a California jail also became one of the most scrutinized custodial suicides. A 28-year-old immigrant from Ukraine was accused of killing six members of his family. The man was subject to the tightest security available. He was placed in the same cell and observed via the same 24-hour camera that had scrutinized the movements of mail-bomber Ted Kaczynski.
In spite of this heightened surveillance, the murder suspect managed to kill himself. He used strips of cloth and a plastic bag to fashion a hangman’s rope and hang himself.
In the law enforcement community, this instance of custodial suicide was a demonstration of the futility of trying to prevent all jail suicides. The sheriff of that county said that it doesn’t matter what measures jails take because if people are determined to kill themselves, they are going to do it. In this case, they had sufficient warning and notice regarding the suicide risk. However, the extent of the mental problems the young man suffered from wasn’t fully known until after his death.
Since that time, the jail has tried to redesign the bunks so that inmates would be less likely to hang themselves. The death of the Ukranian detainee was the 9th suicide in that jail in less than one year.
Learn more in the next segment. Also see Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, and Part 7 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
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