Montgomery County Jail Inmate Commits Suicide

An inmate in the Montgomery County, Texas Jail committed suicide by hanging on or about September 9, 2017.  He was allegedly convicted of a crime and sentenced on or about August 24, 2017.  Allegedly, the man was discovered by a detention officer while making rounds – 25 minutes into a 30-minute round.

We make no allegation in this post that anyone acted inappropriately regarding the inmate’s death.  However, suicide in county jails continues to be a significant problem in Texas.  A Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals judge wrote many years ago that, when an inmate is suicidal and/or expresses an intent to harm himself or herself, periodic viewings are insufficient.  That judge wrote that jails must continually observe such inmates.  Moreover, suicidal inmates should not be left with items in their cell with which they can harm themselves.

Written By: Dean Malone

Dean Malone

Dean Malone is the founder of Law Offices of Dean Malone, P.C., a jail neglect civil rights law firm. Mr. Malone earned his bachelor's degree at the University of Texas at Dallas, graduating summa cum laude with a 4.0 GPA, and from Baylor University School of Law with a general civil litigation concentration. Mr. Malone served in several staff positions for the Baylor Law Review, including executive editor. Mr. Malone is an experienced trial lawyer, trying a number of cases to jury verdict and also handling arbitrations through final hearing. He heads the jail neglect section of his law firm, in which lawyers litigate cases involving serious injury and death resulting from jail neglect and abuse. Lawyers frequently refer cases to Mr. Malone due to his focus on this very complicated civil rights practice area.