DETROIT (WXYZ) — Barely a month old, Wayne County’s new state-of-the-art jail has already been the site of two inmate suicides, prompting calls for change from attorneys and experts in jail reform.
“Something is wrong,” said Lillian Diallo, the president of the Wayne County Criminal Defense Bar Association. “And they need to be honest about it and work to fix it.”
In both recent deaths, the inmates sought mental health treatment or were on a floor reserved for mental health consumers.
The most recent death came late Saturday, when an inmate housed on the county’s mental health floor was found hanging in his cell. He was facing weapons charges and was accused of assaulting or resisting a police officer.
His suicide followed another on Sept, 10, after an inmate who had threatened suicide and sought mental health treatment in the jail took his life in his cell, according to sources.
That inmate was facing a murder charge.
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“These are people we have to deal with, they are marginalized,” Diallo said. “And if we say we’re going to do the job as a country, then we do the job.”
Since the jail opened in September, attorneys like Diallo have complained about problems inside, from inmate lockdowns caused by understaffing to fights and floods on jail floors.
It all came following repeated promises from county officials, Diallo said, of a safer jail.
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“The new jail does not have bars anywhere within the facility,” Sheriff Raphael Washington said at a news conference last year. “All of the 41 housing units within the new jail are outfitted with window glazing that will allow staff to see in the housing units and cells from several vantage points.”
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Inmate suicides have plagued Wayne County before. Back in 2017, 7 News Detroit reported how the jail saw eight inmates take their lives in only 13 months.
That triggered the Department of Justice to open an investigation into how inmates with disabilities were treated and, earlier this year, it announced an agreement that included improvements to the county's suicide prevention program.
“Every death behind bars is concerning,” said Margo Schlanger, a law professor at the University of Michigan and an expert in jail and prison reforms.
She said more needs to be learned about what made these two suicides possible, and the county needs to do whatever is necessary to prevent a third.
“The criminal process puts people under extreme stress,” Schlanger said. “It’s really important that we create situations in which people can stay safe, and that includes that it’s as difficult as it can be for them to commit suicide.”
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The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to a request for comment on the most recent suicide.
Commission Chair Alisha Bell called the death “tragic,” and said the county “will continue to look into the cause and make every effort to mitigate the gravity of this from occurring again. Our deepest sympathy goes out to the family at this time of sorrow.”
Contact 7 Investigator Ross Jones at ross.jones@wxyz.com or at (248) 827-9466.
