It appears that the last suicide to occur at Washington County Jail in Brenham, Texas, was the death of 31-year-old Cameron James Pritchett on March 6, 2019. During the follow-up jail inspection conducted by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS), it was discovered that the jail had not met minimum requirements on a jail standard associated with suicide prevention.

Texas Standards on Suicide Prevention

The TCJS requirements for suicide prevention plans, which every county jail must formulate, include the following:

• Jail staff members must be trained on recognizing, supervising, and handling inmates potentially at risk for suicide and those who are mentally disabled. Those responsible for intake screening must be provided with supplemental training on these matters, and the training includes proper documentation.
• Procedures must be established for identifying the above-mentioned at-risk inmates, including making referrals to available mental health officials.
• Procedures must be in place for communicating details about inmates who are potentially suicidal or mentally handicapped.
• Appropriate housing must be provided to potentially suicidal inmates and those with mental health problems.
• Adequate supervision must be provided for potentially suicidal and mentally disabled inmates, and procedures for documentation must be in place.

The minimum jail standard that was allegedly not met at Washington County Jail was related to supervision. The last check on the inmate before he was discovered dead involved inadequate supervision. The jailer was unable to see into the jail cell because a blanket was over the window. The face-to-face observations of potentially suicidal inmates must occur every 30 minutes, and jailers are supposed to see each inmates’ face and hands.

This website is provided as a form of help to Texas inmates in county jails. This site never intends to suggest that misdeeds have occurred on the part of persons or institutions.

–Guest Contributor