Smith County Jail, Tyler, Texas, Prisoner Quincy Butler Dies 13 Days After Found Hanging in His Cell
Forty-four-year-old Quincy Butler of New Orleans, Louisiana, was incarcerated at Smith County Jail in Tyler, Texas, when he attempted to commit suicide on November 8, 2017. He was discovered by a detention officer hanging in his cell at about 1:25 p.m. and cut down immediately. Jail staff gave Butler CPR and Emergency Medical Services transported him to a local hospital, where he was placed on life support. He died on November 21, after being removed from life support, which was thirteen days after sustaining injuries from the suicide attempt. An independent investigation into Butler’s death is being conducted by the Texas Rangers. The Southwestern Institute of Forensic Science in Dallas will conduct an autopsy. In addition, the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) will investigate and conduct an inspection of Smith County Jail, to try to determine whether the jail was following minimum jail standards when the custodial death occurred.
One of the jail standards designed to ensure the welfare of prisoners has to do with required time frames in which to have face-to-face observations of prisoners. In a jail inspection report for Pecos County Jail in Fort Stockton, Texas, released on October 17, 2017, TCJS alleges that a review of documentation revealed that jail staff did not conduct the required 30-minute observations in areas such as where Butler was in, in which prisoners were known to be potentially suicidal, assaultive, mentally ill, or to have demonstrated bizarre behavior.
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