Investigation needed following jail deaths
It could just be an unfortunate coincidence that two inmates have committed suicide at Washington County Jail since Sept. 26, bringing the total to three who have died by their own hands in 2015.
As Commissioner Larry Maggi pointed out in a story that appeared in the Observer-Reporter Saturday, there are limits to what jail staff can do. Both Darius Rawls, a 20-year-old Charleroi man, and Gregory Michaux, 38, from Clarksville, used sheets to hang themselves, and while you can deny prisoners everything from shoelaces and belts to dental floss, you can’t take sheets away.
“Unfortunately, things are going to happen,” Maggi explained. “Do we take away all the sheets and blankets? I don’t think so.”
John Temas, the jail’s warden, promised that the facility and its staff are cooperating with investiagtions from both Washington city police and the U.S. Attorney’s office, and has undertaken its own internal investigation. And it’s hard to determine exactly how Washington County stacks up as far as inmate suicides go compared to counties of similar size – a spokesman for the Department of Corrections said that there has been turnover in its inspections office and a county-by-county breakdown was not available.
Still, the two recent deaths should give jail officials pause and lead them to fully investigate how they can prevent additional inmate suicides from occurring in the future.
Inmates arrive at the jail at a low ebb in their lives, are often dealing with addiction issues, could be prone to violence and, in many cases, likely don’t possess the best coping skills. Jail staff must do their best to make sure inmates do not harm themselves, or other inmates, while they await justice.