Jail Standards Violations in Texas Reveal a Possible Pattern in Neglected Standards Designed to Prevent Jail Suicide
The findings in a recent San Diego County Jail, California, report on jail suicides are very relevant to Texas jails, as well. There is evidence that Texas legislators are awakened to the need to address jail suicide prevention, which is the crux of the conclusion of above-referenced report. New legislation was signed into law in Texas in summer 2017 that increased considerations for prisoners who may be mentally ill and at risk for suicide. There are, however, other reports showing that all Texas jails may not yet be on board with taking extra measures to prevent jail suicide. A pattern in Jail Inspection Report citations seems to indicate a lack of diligence along these lines.
The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) routinely does jail inspections and releases reports revealing citations for allegedly failing to meet minimum jail standards. These reports are accessible to the public, and some of the procedural standards related to potentially suicidal and mentally disabled prisoners are allegedly violated frequently by counties all over the state.
For example, the following county jails in Texas, to name a few, were cited for allegedly failing to notify a magistrate within 12 hours when it was discovered during intake screening that prisoners were known or observed to be potentially suicidal and/or mentally disabled:
- Wilson County Jail in Floresville, in an April 3, 2018, Jail Inspection Report
- San Saba County Jail in San Saba in a March 1, 2018 report
- Bosque County Jail in Meridian in a February 14, 2018 report
- Freestone County Jail in Fairfield in a March 1, 2018 report
The issue of jail suicide prevention is something that could potentially impact any Texas family at some point, considering that people are sometimes falsely arrested and many are arrested on minor charges, such as failure to maintain auto insurance. These alleged oversights in Texas jails plus others are issues to be very concerned about.
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–Guest Contributor
smchugh
smchugh