A special jail inspection was conducted at Harrison County Jail in Marshall, Texas, following the death of inmate Larry David Hurt on March 1, 2021. According to an inspector with the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS), the jail was non-compliant regarding issues related to prisoner intake.

Myths About Suicide

According to a publication released by TCJS, the following are common myths about suicide that need to be dispelled in order to achieve suicide prevention with greater success.

Myth #1: People who threatened suicide or make suicidal statements typically do not go through with it. The truth: Most people who commit suicide make either direct or indirect statements indicating that they have intentions to commit suicide.

Myth #2: When suicide happens, it is sudden and without warning. The truth: Most of the time, a person has carefully strategized ways to cope with personal problems before committing suicide.

Myth #3: Once a person has attempted suicide, the idea gets out of their system, and they will not try again. The truth: Any person with a history of one or more previous attempts at suicide is at a far greater risk than individuals who have never made a suicide attempt.

Myth #4: Every person who is suicidal is mentally ill. The truth: Although suicidal persons are extremely unhappy, that does not necessarily mean that they are mentally ill.

See Part 1 and Part 2 of this three-part series.

This website never has an intention of implicating a person or entity in wrongdoing. This site is provided as a potentially helpful source of information for Texas inmates now or previously held in county jails in the state.

–Guest Contributor