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Politics & Government

Suicide Watch: Counties Trained to Protect Inmates

Both detention centers undergo strenuous training programs to protect inmates from self harm.

Law enforcement officials say safety procedures at the McHenry County Adult Correctional Facility in Woodstock and the Lake County Jail in Waukegan are state-of-the-art for keeping inmates, correctional officers, staff and the public safe. 

Both facilities are similar in size with McHenry’s facility having 651 beds and Lake County having about 700. One of the main differences is that McHenry’s jail also holds U.S. Immigrations and Customs Enforcement detainees. 

Both adhere to the Illinois Department of Corrections Jail and Detention Standards; contract medical staff from Correct Care Solutions (CCS) and are two of four adult detention facilities out of the 102 in Illinois accredited by the American Correctional Association (ACA).

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Something else both have in common is that until Feb. 18, the most recent suicides committed by inmates were in 2005 involving men aged 29 and 31 who both used bed sheets to hang themselves in their cells. 

On Feb. 18, however, 42-year-old Crystal Lake resident hanged himself in his cell with a bed sheet in the McHenry County Adult Correctional Facility. He was attended to by medical staff at the facility and transported to Woodstock Centegra Hospital. After two days on life support there, Puchmelter died. 

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Puchmelter was being held there on a $25,000 bond for allegedly beating his 70-year-old mother with a baseball bat. 

According to officials, there have been three suicide attempts at the McHenry County Adult Correctional Facility since 2000 and five at the Lake County Jail since 1989. 

While McHenry officials would not speak specifically about Puchmelter’s case at this time, Patrick Firman, deputy chief of corrections, said the facility checks cells every 30 minutes as outlined in the state’s jail and detention standards. Inmates are checked every 20 minutes during the midnight shift and the rounds are recorded for both types of surveillance. 

Inmates that are determined to be a threat to themselves may be sequestered in one of two padded cells in the booking area with more frequent observation, he said. 

While medical staff makes the final determination on an inmate’s state of mind, correctional officers are trained to notice emotional and behavioral cues from inmates at both jails and how to take appropriate action. 

Officers at the Lake County Jail have been trained in suicide prevention and crisis intervention and are required to complete a four-hour refresher class annually, said Megen Mercado, deputy chief of corrections. 

Training includes noticing any stressful events that could cause an inmate to want to commit suicide, to look for the signs of depression, the role alcohol and substance abuse plays in suicide attempts, how to improve communication skills with inmates, to look for key words that may indicate a danger to harm one’s self and the critical responses and decisions and methods needed to handle those situations. 

“We treat everyone seriously, even if they say ‘I was just kidding,’” Mercado said. “And if they say that they are suicidal we will put them on a suicide watch and have mental health talk to them.” 

At the Lake County Jail, suicide watch means being placed in a padded cell with special clothing and bedding that cannot be torn or wrapped around the neck. Checks are increased from the typical 30 minutes to 15 minutes or less. 

Both facilities have 24/7 nursing staff on the premises; social workers, physicians, mental health workers and access to a psychiatrist provided by Correct Care Solutions headquartered in Nashville, Tenn. CCS provides health care to correctional facilities in 18 states, including Illinois. 

“Suicide prevention is part of our ongoing training programs for all of our staff members,” said Executive Vice President Patrick Cummiskey. 

A standard procedure for both detention centers is an initial examination when anyone is checked in. Unless a stay is for only a few hours or less, medical staff examine inmates and request a psychiatric evaluation if indicated. These exams include gathering historical information regarding their mental and medical health conditions. Additionally, a physical examination is completed within 14 days of their incarceration. Medical services are offered to inmates at least five times a week. 

In addition, both facilities undergo annual third-party audits for programs by the ACA for compliance to national standards, which also includes standards for suicide prevention and training. 

McHenry had completed an ACA accreditation about the time of Puchmelter’s death and no recommendations were suggested to change any of the existing procedures. 

“There’s a lot of training involved and these types of situations are of high importance but they don’t occur very frequently,” Firman said. “It requires a lot of training and practice.”

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