Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Federal prosecutors are investigating a small jail in Buffalo, New York, where six inmates have committed suicide in the past five years. That total, for the 680-bed Erie County Holding Facility, is considerably out of proportion compared with Rikers Island, which had the same number of suicides among 14,000 inmates.
Department of Justice lawyers allege the Buffalo jail failed “to supervise inmates, identify inmates at risk for suicide, correct deficiencies in cells that facilitate suicide attempts, and prevent likely suicide attempts.”
In addition, a former inmate is suing the holding center for not providing his insulin over two days, causing him to be rushed to the hospital. The incident was reportedly similar to others involving prisoners not getting medication for serious health problems.
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Small County Jail in Upstate New York Has Big Problem With Suicides (by Mosi Secret, ProPublica)
Judge Lets Suit Against Holding Center Stand (by Matthew Spina, Buffalo News)
Federal Inspectors to Resume Holding Center Examination Tuesday (by Matthew Spina and Dan Herbeck, Buffalo News)
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