Texas Administrative Code
Title 37 - PUBLIC SAFETY AND CORRECTIONS
Part 9 - TEXAS COMMISSION ON JAIL STANDARDS
Chapter 273 - HEALTH SERVICES
Section 273.5 - Mental Disabilities/Suicide Prevention Plan
Universal Citation: 37 TX Admin Code ยง 273.5
Current through Reg. 49, No. 12; March 22, 2024
(a) Each sheriff/operator shall develop and implement a mental disabilities/suicide prevention plan, in coordination with available medical and mental health officials, approved by the Commission by March 31, 1997. The plan shall address the following principles and procedures:
(1) Training. Provisions for staff training
(including frequency and duration) on the procedures for recognition,
supervision, documentation, and handling of inmates who are mentally disabled
and/or potentially suicidal. Supplemental training should be provided to those
staff members responsible for intake screening;
(2) Identification. Procedures for intake
screening to identify inmates who are known to be or observed to be mentally
disabled and/or potentially suicidal and procedures for compliance with Code of
Criminal Procedure Article 16.22 and referrals to available mental health
officials;
(3) Communication.
Procedures for communication of information relating to inmates who are
mentally disabled and/or potentially suicidal;
(4) Housing. Procedures for the assignment of
inmates who are mentally disabled and/or potentially suicidal to appropriate
housing;
(5) Supervision.
Provisions for adequate supervision of inmates who are mentally disabled and/or
potentially suicidal and procedures for documenting supervision;
(6) Intervention and Emergency Treatment.
Procedures for staff intervention prior to the occurrence of a suicide and
during the progress of a suicide attempt, or serious deterioration of mental
condition;
(7) Reporting.
Procedures for reporting of completed suicides to appropriate outside
authorities and family members; and
(8) Follow-Up Review. Procedures for
follow-up review of policies by the sheriff/operator and mental health and
medical officials following all attempted or completed suicides.
(b) Screening Instrument. An approved mental disabilities/suicide prevention screening instrument shall be completed immediately on all inmates admitted.
(c) Mental Health/Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities History Check. Each jail shall:
(1) check each inmate upon intake into the
jail against the Texas Health and Human Services Commission CCQ system to
determine if the inmate has previously received state mental healthcare or has
a known intellectual or developmental disability, unless the inmate is being
housed as an out of state inmate or a federal inmate on a contractual
basis;
(2) maintain documentation
to be available at the time of inspection showing that information for each
inmate designated in paragraph (1) of this subsection was submitted for CCQ/IDD
system checks, to include notification to the magistrate and the Local Mental
Health Authority or Local Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Authority
as per CCP 16.22(a)(1); and
(3)
include any relevant mental health or intellectual and developmental disability
information on the mental health screening instrument and, if sentenced to the
Department of Criminal Justice, on the Uniform Health Status form.
Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Texas may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google
Privacy Policy and
Terms of Service apply.
