Jail Death Lawsuit Texas – Inmate Deaths in County Jails Across the U.S. Cause Widespread Devastation – Part 3
The following are more discoveries from the nationwide investigation of county jails in the U.S., which included a close look at approximately 400 formal complaints against them:
- Among the complaints about custodial suicides and suicide attempts, most of the inmates had been incarcerated for a week or less. The first few days of confinement are typically marked by the sudden stress of the situation. Inmates are understandably concerned about losing their job, the reaction of their family, and what will happen in the future. If members of the jail staff were trained to heighten supervision of new inmates or perhaps to provide frequent face-to-face monitoring during the first week of incarceration, perhaps lives could be saved.
- The items frequently used by inmates to hang themselves are clothing, shower curtains, and bedsheets. In some cases, inmates were given razors, even when it was known that he or she was potentially suicidal.
- Due to insufficient training or staffing shortages, many inmates who committed suicide or attempted suicide were not regularly checked at the required intervals, which was between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on the classification of the inmate.
- Of the 165 inmates who had committed suicide or attempted to do so, approximately 80% of them were awaiting trial.
Learn more in Part 1 and Part 2 of this ongoing series.
The posts on this site are intended to provide assistance to Texas inmates and their families. There is never an intention to suggest that a person or institution has been involved in any kind of impropriety.
–Guest Contributor
smchugh
smchugh