A custodial death report (CDR) was sent to The Office of the Attorney General of Texas about 39-year-old Adrian Chevez on July 19, 2023. The cause of his death on June 24, 2023, is pending autopsy results; but the medical cause of death on the CDR indicates “believed self-inflicted asphyxia of the airway by hanging.” Mr. Chevez apparently wrote a suicide note before hanging himself in Tarrant County Jail, Fort Worth, Texas.

Things to Look for During Intake Screening

Affirmative answers to one or more of the following items, to name a few, are sufficient to indicate that a detainee has a heightened risk of suicide and needs further intervention:

• The detainee is intoxicated and/or has a history of drug or alcohol abuse.
• The detainee has expressed unusually high levels of guilt, shame, and worry over the arrest and incarceration.
• The detainee expressed feelings of fear or hopelessness about the future or shows signs of depression, such as lack of emotion, crying, or lack of verbal communication.
• The detainee admits to having current thoughts about suicide.
• The detainee has previously received treatment for a mental health problem.
• The detainee is currently suffering from a psychiatric condition or is behaving in an unusual or bizarre manner, such as talking to self, hearing voices, or having difficulty focusing.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.

One of purposes of this website is to provide helpful information of benefit to municipal and county jail inmates in Texas. Insinuating that misdeeds have occurred on the part of institutions or persons is not intended on this site.

–Guest Contributor