Gilbert Shaw Medina was an inmate at Collin County Jail in McKinney, Texas, when he committed suicide on February 11, 2022. The 32-year-old was housed in a single cell, and he hung himself using a ligature he had fashioned.

Texas is not the only state in which many suicides occur in county jails. In a state outside Texas, a particular jail was put in the spotlight because of a high number of suicides. A watchdog group brought these suicide statistics to light and calls for better mental health and medical health policies in that state. Their hope is to see statewide standards established in order to avoid having certain jails in which, for example, provisions for mental health are sadly lacking.

A representative for the jail in question stated that the suicide rate in the county jails does not equate to a general indifference to preventing custodial suicides.

In one particular case, a 37-year-old man was admitted to a local hospital for medical treatment after being taken into the custody of the jail. His family told members of the hospital staff about mental-health issues their loved one had and the importance of his taking medication for the treatment of his mental health challenges. The message was supposedly passed on to the jail.

Back at the jail, the medications weren’t provided to the inmate, and the man committed suicide two days after his arrest.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.

Insinuating that any individual or entity has been involved in misdeeds is never intended on this website. Each post is meant as a helpful resource for county jail inmates in Texas.

–Guest Contributor