Methods of Suicide in U.S. Jails

A recent study on suicides in U.S. jails analyzed methods of suicide. Hanging was the method of custodial suicide 92.7% of the time. The instruments used in suicides, in order from most to least common were:

• Bedding
• Clothing
• Shoelaces
• Belt
• Towel
• Razor/knife
• Drugs

In a recent tragic suicide in Texas, an inmate used a television cable wire to commit suicide. The following were anchoring devices used most by county and municipal inmates when committing suicide by hanging:

• Bunk or bed
• Cell door or cell bars
• Shower hardware
• Corded telephone
• Conduit piping
• Light fixture
• Window
• Shelf/clothing hook
• Smoke detector

Suicide Precautions

Designating inmates as potentially suicidal is a chief strategy for suicide prevention in Texas jails. Supervision is increased for suicidal inmates and may be every 30 minutes, every 15 minutes, every 10 minutes, or constant. Unfortunately, this study showed that only 7.5% of the inmates who committed suicide were on suicide precautions when they died.

The deaths of 35 inmates who were on suicide precautions were analyzed, and it showed the following:

• 6 were being observed at 30-minute intervals,
• 24 were observed face-to-face every 15 minutes,
• 1 was observed every 10 minutes, and
• 4 were under constant observation, which includes closed-circuit television monitoring.

Learn more in Pt.1,  Pt.2, Pt.3, Pt.4, Pt.5, Pt.6, Pt.7, Pt.8, Pt.9, Pt.10, Pt.11, Pt.12, Pt.13, Pt.14, Pt.15, Pt.16, Pt.17, Pt.18, and this continuing series.

This website is meant as a Texas resource for county and municipal jail inmates. Accusing people or entities of involvement in wrongdoing is never an intention on this site.

–Guest Contributor