WSMV Channel 4 W. Tenn. jail changes policies after suicide

W. Tenn. jail changes policies after suicide

A West Tennessee jail has implemented new policies in the wake of an inmate's suicide.

Madison County Sheriff David Woolfork told The Jackson Sun that deputies are now required to check every 10 to 15 minutes on inmates who are on suicide watch (HYPERLINK "http://bit.ly/AoiF2a" ).

He says that's stricter than vague state guidelines that call for regular inmates to be checked on at least once an hour and suicidal inmates to be checked more frequently than that. It's also stricter than guidelines set out by the American Correctional Association, which recommends checking suicidal inmates every half hour.

The steps come after 24-year-old Jonathan Lee Carter hanged himself in a cell in December. Woolfork has said deputies didn't check on Carter often enough.

"The problem is those two officers waited two hours and 20 minutes before they went and checked," Woolfork said. "They were five steps away from the cell block."

Former jailer Josh Hogg said workers have little suicide training, an understaffed booking area and poor communication between shifts. Hogg, who worked the night Carter died but quit rather than face a disciplinary hearing, said there's also too much responsibility placed on jailers to keep up with policies that change frequently.

Four other jailers were disciplined after the suicide.

According to jail logs the newspaper obtained under the public records law, deputies on both day and night shifts did not check Carter as often as they should have.

Jail Administrator Capt. Tom Rudder said the Tennessee Corrections Institute inspects the jail yearly and it had never received a citation.

Rudder said officers get yearly training on policy and procedures, including suicide prevention.

The new policy also includes a scanning system so that officials can better track which deputies make inmate checks, and it requires supervisors to make sure the procedures are followed.

Information from: The Jackson Sun, http://www.jacksonsun.com

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