A frequent topic as regards Texas jails is a continued lack of improvement in the number of custodial suicides. Notably, no significant reductions in suicides have been evident in Texas jails, even since the 2017 enactment of the Sandra Bland Act. The law is designed to reduce jail suicides through improved screening and more frequent inmate monitoring. The Act is named after Sandra Bland, who committed suicide in the Waller County Jail.

A major problem with enacting the new law is that no funds have accompanied the new requirements, though an increase in jail staff is typically needed. Even before the new law went into effect, the executive director of the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS), Brandon Wood, said that carrying out the required 30-minute checks for at-risk inmates was already creating staffing challenges for jails.

The 239 jails in Texas are regularly inspected by TCJS, and, of every four inspections, one jail, on average, is found to be non-compliant. What is especially concerning is that there is a relatively high frequency of non-compliance with standards considered to be crucial steps in preventing custodial suicide and other deaths.  

See this continuing series to learn about 2020 non-compliance in Texas jails as relates to jail standards aimed at preventing custodial suicide.

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–Guest Contributor