Myths about Inmate Suicide Continued

Myth: Every Hanging is a Crime Scene. The Person Can’t Be Cut Down Until the Location is Photographed and Evidence is Accumulated.

Fact: Inmates found hanging should be cut down immediately and lifesaving measures started.

The importance of training in suicide prevention cannot be overstated. In suicide prevention training, members of the jail staff learn the difference between myth and fact. They also learn that their own personal thoughts about suicide must be put aside, or lives could be lost.

There have been reports that in different jails throughout the nation, medical staff delayed attending to a hanging victim. They thought a crime scene investigation needed to take place before they took action. This type of errant thinking takes precious minutes that could save a life.

Inmates found hanging or in a self-strangulation situation must immediately be cut down or cut free from the ligature.

A Gregg County Jail Inmate Hangs Herself with a TV Cable

Ashley Elizabeth Maxwell was booked into Gregg County Jail in Longview, Texas, on May 24, 2022. She exhibited mental health problems during the process of intake. She had a documented history of mental illness and drug abuse and was placed on suicide watch at the time of housing.

Also learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6, Part 7, Part 8, Part 9, Part 10, Part 11, Part 12, Part 13, and Part 14 of this continuing series.

Providing help to inmates now or formerly detained in a Texas municipal or county jail is one of the purposes of this website. There is never an intention of implying that misdeeds have occurred on the part of individuals or institutions.

–Guest Contributor