By C1 Staff
HOUSTON — A new report using findings from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards found that a third of the deaths in Texas jails were by suicide.
The Texas Tribune studied data from the commission to find that of the 501 deaths that have occurred inside state jails since 2009, 140 were suicides. One hundred and eighteen were hangings that used a variety of common objects, such as bed linens and trash bag linings.
The study comes in the wake of the death of Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old black woman who was allegedly found hanging in her Waller County jail cell after being arrested for assault on a public servant.
The medical examiner in the case ruled Bland’s death a suicide by hanging, and Waller County officials said that a trash can liner was found around her neck at the time of her July 13 death.
Of the 140 deaths, the majority were found to have used bed linens such as sheets, towels, blankets and mattress covers. Only seven percent have previously used trash can liners to hang themselves.
The commission only started keeping track of jail death six years ago, and county jails are required by law to notify the commission of any deaths within 24 hours.
Suicides are a constant worry, pushing jails to keep all but absolutely necessary items out of cells. These policies must also balance with the rights of prisoners, such as the right to communicate with family members and attorneys.
Bland’s death has renewed questions about why trash bags are available in county jail cells at all. While often available in county lockups, the liners are scarce in state prisons.
Inmates in state prisons take waste out of their cells and place it in trash cans in common areas. Those in solitary confinement hand their trash to staff to be disposed of.