The Humboldt County Courthouse and Correctional Facility.

It’s barely August, and yet more inmates have attempted suicide inside the Humboldt County Correctional Facility — 13 to date — than in the last two years combined.

There were only four attempted suicides in each of the previous two years — 2013 and 2014 — according to Lt. Dean Flint with the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office. Two of those eight attempts (both in 2013) were successful. “We did not keep track of these [suicide statistics] in detail before then,” Flint said.

Why the sudden uptick in suicide attempts?

“We have formed a committee of people from county mental health staff, medical service providers and correctional staff to try and figure this out as well,” Flint responded via email. “We have even reached out to other counties to see what trends they are seeing.”

The most recent suicide attempt in the county jail came on Thursday, when a 35-year old man who’d been arrested for two misdemeanors ran up a flight of stairs, climbed over the railing and leapt from the landing. He succeeded only in breaking his pelvis and is now back inside a jail cell, according to the Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office.

Only one of the 13 suicide attempts so far this year was successful — that of a 34-year-old man who hanged himself on June 26. He was in custody on charges of burglary, receiving stolen property and carrying a concealed weapon. 

All but two of this year’s suicide attempts — the most recent two — were via hanging or strangulation. On July 12 a 35-year-old man suffered “severe trauma” after jumping from the top tier of a housing unit.

Without data prior to 2013 it’s impossible to tell how significant this year’s figures are — whether it’s a big statistical anomaly or part of a larger trend. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, suicide is the leading cause of death among inmates in local jails, and the rate of suicides in jail trended up slightly during the latter half of last decade. 

The local statistics for this year do run counter to at least one national trend. The Justice Department reports that from 2000 to 2010, “ƒJail inmates age 55 or older had the highest suicide rate and committed suicide at twice the rate of jail inmates ages 18 to 24, who had the lowest suicide rate.”

In our jail, none of the inmates who attempted suicide this year was over age 45. The youngest was a 19-year-old who tried to hang himself on Feb. 7. The oldest (45) also tried to hang himself. The average age of those who’ve attempted suicide in the jail this year is just 32, and all but one of them (a 42-year-old woman who tried to hang herself on May 19) were male.

California’s Supreme Court-ordered prison realignment has changed the culture in county jails, making them more prison-like with increased violence and gang activity. But, again, without more information it’s impossible to know what factors have led to the upswing in suicide rates locally.

The Outpost will continue reporting on this issue as more information becomes available. 

PREVIOUSLY: