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News :: Crime & Police |
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THREE JAIL SUICIDES IN CHAMPAIGN COUNTY |
Current rating: 0 |
by Sandra Ahten
Email: spiritofsandra (nospam) hotmail.com (unverified!) |
13 Dec 2004
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(Let’s Shed Some Light On It.)
Terrell Layfield killed himself at the Champaign County jail on Saturday, December 4th. This was the third suicide that has taken place within the walls of the Champaign County Jail in the last 6 months -- this compared to an overall state count of approximately 8 or 9 suicides per year - in total – in all city and county jails in Illinois. In other words if statistics for this year hold true. Champaign County will have had 30% of all jail suicides in Illinois. |
Terrell Layfield killed himself at the Champaign County jail on Saturday, December 4th. This was the third suicide that has taken place within the walls of the Champaign County Jail in the last 6 months -- this compared to an overall state count of approximately 8 or 9 suicides per year - in total – in all city and county jails in Illinois. In other words if statistics for this year hold true. Champaign County will have had 30% of all jail suicides in Illinois.
There are two county adult jail facilities. Both administered by elected official Sheriff Daniel Walch. One of these facilities is located right across from the courthouse in downtown Urbana, and the newer facility is located east of Solo Cup in Urbana at 502 South Lierman Ave.
Mr. Layfield, who was, 25 killed himself by hanging from a bedsheet in the downtown jail facility. The other victims, Marcus Edwards,18 hanged himself with a bedsheet in July. And Joseph Beavers, who was 37 hanged himself using a telephone cord.
WHAT OF THE OFFICIAL INVESTIGATION?
All of the arrests in Champaign County, whether by Urbana, Champaign or Rantoul city police officers or county sheriff officers, are held at the Champaign County jail. There are approximately 280 inmates in the jail. After the second suicide in July, it was recognized that an outside agency needed to investigate the incidents. Incredibly, the Urbana Police Department was assigned the task. The Urbana Police Department with Lt. Metzler, as the investigating officer was seen to be enough of an “outside agency” that they were given the task of the investigation.
I have called Lt. Metzler repeatedly to get copies of the investigation, but have been met with unreturned phone calls and hostility from his staff. I filed a Freedom of Information Act, and, was today, informed that the first suicide was not being investigated by the Urbana Police and the second report was not yet available. (The second suicide was in July.)
Who was assigned the investigation of the third suicide? Once again this was assigned to the Urbana Police Department -- this time with the help of Illinois State Police crime scene technicians. Notice this is “help from technicians” but there has been no indication that there would be over site by any truly outside agency.
Statistically most jail suicides happen early in the detention process. Over 50% of jail suicides are committed in first 24 hours. 28.5% in first three hours. Most jail suicides happen for arrests involving intoxication. Only one of the local recent jail suicides bore this out. Joseph Beavers who had a history of arrests related to intoxication and battery was arrested for battery and he committed suicide shortly after his arrest. The two younger victims, Marcus Edwards, who was just 18, and had been arrested for residential burglary had been held for approximately 4 months. He had plea bargained a guilty plea on July 9th and was awaiting sentencing into the state prison system. He died on July 11.
Mr. Layfield, 25, had been arrested in March for cocaine possession and obstruction of justice and was released by meeting bond. He was arrested while he was out on bond and so back in jail in July. He was found guilty of the obstruction of justice charge and sentenced to 66 months in prison in October. Awaiting his next trial, he hung himself.
Despite occasional spikes in individual prison systems, the suicide rate in state and federal prisons, as well as local jails, has declined over the past two decades, according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Bureau of Justice Statistics. But suicide is the number one cause of death in most local jails and remains the third-leading cause in state and federal prisons, behind natural causes and AIDS, making suicide a continuing concern for corrections officials.
WILL CHAMPAIGN COUNTY BE SUED?
Citizens who are concerned about human rights will be concerned because they are anxious to find out why these community members chose suicide and why it was able to be carried out in our jail. But citizens who are concerned about our county’s budget should also be concerned. It is the responsibility of the sheriff’s office to provide safety for all inmates and that includes those that are depressed or mentally ill. Liability could very well be placed at the feet of Champaign County by the legal system, should any concerned family member of a victim decide to litigate. It is common for most jail suicides to result in litigation.
According to the NCIA, the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives -- http://www.ncianet.org/
“Twenty years ago it was unusual for a lawsuit to be filed following an inmate suicide. Currently it is unusual when a lawsuit is not filed. If successful, jurisdictions and their insurance carriers often incur large monetary judgments when it is found that policies were non-existent or substandard and staff were inadequately trained to identify an obvious suicide risk.”
So because of the litigation factor, as well as a human decency factor, Champaign County should be doing every thing possible to make sure that this abnormal spike is thoroughly investigated and the cause determined by an outside agency.
The NCIA also says that solutions such as television monitors, tearaway blankets and other “preventions tools” are usually just band aid approaches…” These do not address the causes of the suicides. These suicides need to be investigated as to why the suicide was attempted, why it wasn’t anticipated, and why it was successful.
WHAT USUALLY CONTRIBUTES TO SUICIDE IN JAIL
One study shows [http://66.165.94.98/update/prisonsuicide.pdf] that several environmental and operational factors might contribute to the suicides: 1)
inadequate or unavailable psychological services at initial intake and during incarceration, 2) poor communication among staff, 3) perception of self-injurious behavior as a means of manipulation, 4) basic elements of the institutional environment that constrain personal efficacy and control, 5) limited staff training and direction in suicide prevention, 6) limited staff direction in responding to suicide incidents, and 7) investigations directed primarily toward establishing an appropriate response by staff without the accompanying thorough investigation of the causes of the suicide.
SHERIFF’S WALCH’S SOLUTIONS
To date Sheriff Walch has said that the guards are now doing more random checks of cells in addition to the 15 and 30 minute routine checks. He has also said that some structural changes will be made in the cells. Other than that his only solution is to have asked mental health officials to prepare a brochure or letter for inmates and their families, giving information on what to look for in behavior that might indicate a person wants to harm himself. Friends and family of inmates as well as other inmates are being asked to watch for possible problems.
To understand the ludicrousness of this – laying the responsibility of for suicide watch at the feet of the family members or other inmates, you have to fully understand the conditions at the jail. Read the second part of this story. “The Harsh Hand of The Champaign County Jail” (Or listen to IMC Radio news from Dec 13 that includes interviews with family of inmates.) |
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