The following is a continuation of recommendations made to the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for the purpose of preventing custodial suicides more proficiently as well as pertinent insights that existed at that time:

24-Hour Access to Mental Health Services

Inmates in Texas jails should have 24-hour access to mental health services every day of the week. In facilities where it is impractical to hire full-time mental health staff members, contracts should be established with local mental health facilities to provide mental health services on an emergency basis.

• Only 11% of the jails in Texas currently have a mental health professional devoted to the facility. There should be a requirement for every jail to show that there is sufficient access to mental health care for the inmates at the facility. The written suicide prevention plan should include a detailed description of contract mental health services and staffing.

Mandatory Suicide Prevention Training

Mandatory training sessions on suicide prevention should be required by TCJS for all county correctional staff.

• Suicide prevention training is currently offered by TCJS as an optional segment of inmate classification training. Procedures should be changed so that suicide prevention training is required for all corrections staff in the form of a stand-alone workshop that provides meaningful instruction.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this ongoing series to learn more.

The posts on this site purpose to help prisoners in city and county jails in Texas, whether current or former inmates, and their families. There is at no time any intention to infer that individuals or institutions have engaged in wrongs of any kind.

–Guest Contributor