Not all county-run jails in Indiana have enough of these rooms for people on suicide watch. This type of action is standard policy at facilities like the Johnson County Jail, which has specially padded rooms like this one to protect inmates who are deemed a danger to themselves. In truth, they are fueling the epidemic of deaths inside Indiana's county jails.Ĭorrections officers work to place a green suit made of rip-resistant fabric on a detainee who is being put in a padded cell Thursday, June 17, 2021, at the Johnson County Jail in Franklin, Ind. Yet an extensive IndyStar review of deaths inside Indiana’s jails found that suicides are occurring with alarming frequency. And it’s not as if the deaths are always happening in darkened cells and concealed corners. On the contrary, many take place in the open, on camera or while a person is on suicide watch.Ĭorrections experts believe many suicides can be prevented. They know, for example, that the risk for suicide is highest shortly after a person is jailed. Corrections officers also are taught the warning signs. But inside jails, people are supposed to be under constant supervision, either in person or on surveillance cameras. Outside jail, suicides often happen when a person is alone. A string attached to the wall-mounted bunk was pulled tightly around her neck. Two hours later, Wheat’s body was found slumped on the cell floor. The smock is made of a heavy, tear-resistant material that can’t easily be ripped or used to form a noose.īut the officer was the only woman working in that part of the jail at the time, so she didn't stay in the cell to watch Wheat change. Nor did the jailer retrieve Wheat’s clothing. Instead, the jailer gave her a suicide smock and directed Wheat to remove her clothes. Candice Marie Wheat of New Albany died in the Clark County Jail in 2016.
0 kommentar(er)
