MONTGOMERY, Ala. — After 15 inmate suicides in 15 months, a federal judge ruled Saturday that Alabama is putting prisoners in danger by failing to provide adequate suicide-prevention measures. Thompson credited the Alabama Department of Correction for recently undertaking some “promising” measures, including a directive generally prohibiting the release of inmates from suicide watch directly to isolated segregation units. Attorneys for prisoners asked Thompson to intervene again after a rash of suicides in state prisons. In the lengthy opinion, Thompson described some of the facts surrounding recent suicides. In another case, Thompson said mental health staff failed to do required follow-up appointments for Paul Ford, an inmate with a history of suicide attempts, after he was released from suicide watch.

Source: National Post May 04, 2019 21:38 UTC