Two years after Texas launched an ambitious law aimed at curbing jailhouse suicides, they remain a stubborn problem. Experts say that’s because the law failed to address a key factor: lack of guards to watch over troubled inmates. Texas became a flashpoint in the debate over jail suicides after the 2015 case of Sandra Bland, who killed herself behind bars three days after her arrest in a contentious traffic stop. The law named for her mandated diversion of mentally ill inmates and funding to purchase cameras for timely cell checks. But there was no requirement or money for additional guards.
(Photo: Shutterstock by Olena Yakobchuk)
