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Ambitious Texas law fails to make dent in jailhouse suicides

4 years 3 months 3 weeks ago Saturday, December 21 2019 Dec 21, 2019 December 21, 2019 9:22 AM December 21, 2019 in News - AP Texas Headlines

By RIIN ALJAS and RYAN E. LITTLE
Capital News Service

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.

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