Bed Design of Year Award
Posted on 03/28/2002 1:08:44 PM PST by let freedom sing
Sacramento County jail inmate was found hanged in his cell Wednesday, the third apparent suicide this year in which an inmate used a small hole in a bunk bed to help end his life.
Sheriff's officials said they are now changing the design of the top bunk in hundreds of cells to prevent further deaths.
"We are plugging them now," Sacramento County Sgt. James Lewis said. "We are expediting the process, but it is not an overnight fix." It was not clear how many bunks need to be plugged and how long that process will take.
The holes, which measure about a quarter-inch in diameter, were designed in the top bunk for drainage when cleaning a soiled bed, Lewis said. The fixture in the steel bunk has been there since the jail opened in 1989 and has largely gone unnoticed by inmates, but no longer.
Three inmates have used the hole to secure makeshift nooses and end their lives, but Wednesday's apparent suicide was the fourth in the jail since January, a number officials have said is far above normal.
The death occurred shortly after midnight when a man being held on a drug charge hanged himself. His cellmate, who was asleep on the top bunk, told deputies he did not hear the man die.
The name of the inmate was not released pending the notification of his family by the Sacramento County Coroner's Office. An autopsy is being conducted in San Joaquin County.
The man complained just hours before his death that heroin withdrawal was making him suicidal, Lewis said. He was given medication to ease withdrawal symptoms and was also assessed by jail psychiatric staff members. They recommended no special placement in a psychiatric or medical unit.
About 12:30 a.m., a deputy on the eighth floor saw the man hanging from the upper bunk. Deputies cut the man down and provided medical aid but were unable to revive him, Lewis said.
The suicide comes just over a month after the death of accused multiple murderer Nikolay Soltys, who was found hanging in his cell Feb. 13.
Other suicides at the jail this year were:
* Jan. 9 -- Darrell Hite, 34, of Sacramento. He was in custody on rape, kidnapping and other sexual charges. Deputies said his noose apparently broke after he hanged himself, and he was found on the floor.
* Feb. 8 -- Jake Summers, 23, of Sacramento. He was a robbery suspect who reportedly suffered from heroin withdrawal in jail, according to his family. He killed himself shortly after a court hearing.
The Sacramento County Coroner's Office has not completed its investigation into the three deaths, but the preliminary ruling in each is suicide. Lewis said Summers and Hite used the hole in the bunk, and Soltys attached his noose to a lamp fixed in the wall.
Suicide is the leading cause of death for jail inmates, national studies show. Most hang themselves within the first 24 hours of being jailed.
Following the death of Soltys, a sheriff's community advisory council met and examined the deaths.
"We looked at the facility, the booking process and the policies of the jail," said Executive Director Clyde Rainwater. "We didn't find anything that was untoward."
The council talked with jail staff about the drain holes last month and was told they would be plugged.
"There was no timetable on when that was occurring," said Rainwater, a local consultant and a former vice president for the Sacramento chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
A welder is needed to plug the holes, but bringing one into the jail has raised security issues, Lewis said. Background checks are needed for anyone brought in, and all their equipment needs to be monitored and accounted for constantly.
Experts say inmate screening is key to preventing jail suicides.
The inmate who died Wednesday was screened as a heroin addict when he was booked into the jail Sunday and was being detoxified for a gram-a-day habit. Most heroin users inject about one-tenth of a gram for each fix.
He was given medication for nausea and insomnia, and there were no reported problems for more than a day.
At 6:45 p.m. Tuesday, the inmate threatened suicide if he wasn't given medication. He was visited by members of the jail's psychiatric staff and told them he wasn't really suicidal, he just wanted medication, Lewis said.
He was given medication at 7:15 p.m. and there were no further problems until he was found in his cell, Lewis said.
The jail's psychiatric staff can recommend special housing for inmates based upon their mental state or physical condition.
Those who are found to be suicidal or otherwise harmful to themselves can be placed in a padded cell wearing paper clothing.
Heroin addicts are not usually housed in a special unit because their symptoms, while severe and uncomfortable, are not life-threatening, Lewis said. On the other hand, alcoholic inmates are more likely to be hospitalized because their withdrawals can be fatal.
The inmate who hanged himself was scheduled to be moved to the general population Wednesday morning, Lewis said.
Good riddance.
I agree, the design of this bed needs to be worked on & improved.
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