Jason Nishimoto was not supposed to have a sheet in his jail cell, or anything to hang it from. But he did.
The 44-year-old, who’d been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, was supposed to be in a suicide watch cell with special safeguards under new policies from the San Diego County sheriff for people whose cases indicate red flags for taking their own lives.
When the jail took Nishimoto in after a family disturbance in September, his mother, Rochelle Nishimoto of Vista, received reassurances in a phone call from a nurse.
"Okay, don't worry Mom, we'll take good care of your son", Rochelle Nishimoto said she was told, shortly before her son carried out his suicide.
The San Diego Sheriff's Department introduced it's suicide prevention protocol in February. The changes were spearheaded by Dr. Alfred Joshua, who was hired in November 2013 as the department's chief medical officer.
In addition to better communication among jail staff and those who come into contact with inmates - other law enforcement agencies, court staff, and medical providers - the protocol includes placing inmates flagged as a suicide risk in so-called "enhanced observation" modules, where cells have been stripped of any tie-off points to prevent hanging.
The contact contributor's, Kelly Davis, article is available at
www.sandiegouniontribune.com/n...ec/16/jail-suicides/
Comments (0)