Bristol County Sheriff hires expert to study inmate suicides

Bristol County jails represent about 12% of the state's inmates but account for roughly a quarter of inmate suicides.

"Nobody really knows why that's the case," Sheriff Paul Heroux told GBH News Friday, calling the issue a "blind spot" and citing data that goes back as far as 2006.

The "blind spot" is why Heroux hired an expert on inmate suicide to do a comprehensive assessment of corrections facilities and study training practices, screening, communication, housing, intervention and more. His department announced the move in a press release Thursday, a month after Heroux took office.

Consultant Lindsay Hayes, who lives in Cape Cod, will start the study within the next month and ultimately deliver a report with his conclusions.

“I come in as a fresh set of eyes,” Hayes said in the release. “Sheriff Heroux reached out to me and was deeply concerned about the suicide rates in the correctional facilities.”

Hayes has examined more than 3,800 cases of suicide in correctional facilities throughout the country, according to a press release from the Bristol County Sheriff's office. He’s served as a suicide prevention consultant to the Justice Department’s Civil Rights division and has conducted the only five national U.S. Justice Department-funded studies on suicides in jails, prisons and juvenile facilities.

In Massachusetts, he previously worked with the state’s Department of Correction and was hired by former Middlesex Sheriff Peter Koutoujian in 2018 to evaluate the jail's suicide prevention efforts, as previously reported by GBH News. Hayes urged Middlesex to increase initial suicide prevention training for staff from 45 minutes to a multi-hour workshop, and to hold two hours of additional training each year.

He declined an interview request from GBH News.

Bristol County has a poor history of inmate suicide prevention. Since 2006, there have been 24 inmate suicides in Bristol County, according to data compiled by the New Bedford Light and cited by Heroux. There have been at least 97 inmate suicides in Massachusetts in that time.

There are currently 700 people in Bristol County jails.

Bonnie Tenneriello, senior staff attorney at Prisoners' Legal Services, said bringing in a consultant is a step in the right direction. She said that inmate suicide is linked to broader conditions inside jails and prisons.

"You go in the jail, there's desperation everywhere," Tenneriello said.

"Jails do not invest in mental health care the way they need to. You may be lucky to see someone once a month in most jails," she added. "So, you know, these kinds of things create a sense of desperation and hopelessness."

People thought to be at risk of self harm in jails throughout the state are often put in cells with suicide-resistant clothing and monitored by corrections officers, Tenneriello said, calling it, "one of the most barbaric practices that our correctional systems engage in," due to the lack of human contact.

Tenneriello said, in general, creating more humane conditions for inmates is crucial.

Heroux said he's working on improving morale for both corrections officers and inmates. "Making sure that inmates are treated with a sense of dignity and that they are listened to is very important," he said.

The assessment of Bristol County jails will cost just under $17,000, according to the new sheriff. Heroux said he is "completely committed" to implementing suggestions from Hayes' report.

If you or someone you know is having thoughts of suicide, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 or use the Crisis Text Line by texting “Home” to 741741. More resources are available at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.