Some of the stories of inmate suicide include alleged callousness, after which guards are sometimes fired or disciplined. Such is the case of a 35-year-old woman who had been suffering from paranoia and mental illness prior to being jailed for a probation violation.

Records reflect that she had been locked up in solitary for 23 hours daily during 51 of the 52 days she was incarcerated. At one point, she warned a guard she would choke herself, and the guard encouraged her to just do it. Later, the guard took a lunch break, not having first checked on her. During that time, the woman did as was suggested and killed herself. Three workers were fired as a result.

In another jail outside Texas, what happened to one inmate demonstrates how deadly callousness and bad judgment can be. The man had tried to commit suicide using a razor six months before being re-admitted into the jail on new charges. The inmate was given a razor blade upon entry into the jail, and a guard is accused of saying to him that the job should have been done right the first time. The inmate died, having slit his own throat with the razor.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, and Part 5 of this ongoing series. More disturbing stories of custodial deaths are to follow.

The posts on this site are intended to provide assistance to Texas inmates and their families. There is never an intention to suggest that a person or institution has been involved in any kind of impropriety.

–Guest Contributor