On Friday, October 2, 2015 San Antonio Express News published "Jail culture, attitudes need change". The article was about suicide prevention in the county jails in Texas. The article suggested that law makers and the Senate Criminal Justice Committee needs to make more of an effort besides passing new laws. There has been 29 suicides in the county jails recorded this year, and 22 in 2014. Chairman of Senate Criminal Justice Committee, John Whitmire, believes that the attitude and culture of the jail system needs to change in order for suicides to stop within in the jail system. Along with Mr. Whitmire's beliefs, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick has instructed the committee to do more investigating for jail safety standards before the Legislature convenes in 2017.
Bexar County had the highest jail suicide rate in 2009, forcing the sheriff to consult a suicide prevention expert. At the Senate Criminal Justice Committee meeting that took place in September of 2015, Bexar County was cited on their successful program that keeps mentally ill patients out of jail. This program is encouraging law makers to keep working on the on going problem with jail suicides.
According to the author of this article, with the expense of incarnation, why waste it on the mentally ill, especially when they are trying to bring down the suicide rate.
The problem with this issue and article is you can't know off the bat who is mentally ill, and who isn't. Unfortunately, some people who are locked up see no other option besides committing suicide, but that doesn't mean they are mentally ill. Some people also fake being mentally ill to get the easy way out of what ever crime they have committed. So if someone sees that being mentally ill is going to get them out of the jail or into an easier program, what's to prevent someone from faking that? I do agree that the suicide isn't the answer, but I don't see how they are going to pick and choose who is suicidal and who isn't till its too late.
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