Suicides at Pinal County jail raise concerns

A pair of Pinal County inmates committed suicide within eight days last month, and experts say the deaths raise concerns about the jail's supervision, medical care and management.

The inmates killed themselves July 8 and 16. There have been two other deaths - both suicides - and five suicide-related injuries in the Pinal County jail since 2005.

The suicides exceed national averages, statistics show. The sheriff's office is facing a lawsuit in one of the deaths, which occurred last year.

"Two deaths in a week for a jail that size certainly stands out," said Lindsay Hayes, a consultant who works with the U.S. Justice Department to analyze jail suicides. "I can't say anything for sure without studying them. But when you see a group of suicides like that, there are often factors that could have contributed."

Chief Deputy Terry Altman runs the jail, which houses an average of 1,200 inmates daily, and it's not the first time he's seen a spate of suicides. In 2004, Altman was demoted from his position as top commander for the Brevard County Sheriff's Office in Florida after five inmates committed suicide in three months.

Altman refused interview requests for the story, answering questions only through a sheriff's office spokesman.

In an e-mail about the suicides, he issued a statement that said: "The risk of suicide with in a detention facility is always present. ... Once Mental Health Staff determine the need for increased monitoring of the individual, the security staff assume this responsibility, and perform these duties flawlessly."

Brevard County sheriff's officials declined to comment about Altman's history or the suicides.

But news outlets throughout Florida covered the 2004 deaths extensively. Dozens of news reports spanning several months reported that Altman's staff committed numerous violations, were negligent and were accused of falsifying reports surrounding the deaths.

When an inmate was found hanged to death March 21, 2004, several supervisors and staff were having a cookout instead of conducting routine safety checks, then-Brevard County Sheriff Phil Williams told the Florida Today newspaper.

Several of Altman's top detention officials were punished or fired after the deaths. No official reason was ever given for Altman's demotion. A 2004 Associated Press report quoted Williams as saying that "major changes are needed."

The Pinal County Sheriff's Office hired Altman to run the jail in April 2005. He is one of the highest-paid people in the sheriff's office, making more than $100,000 a year.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Vanessa White said a nationwide search was conducted, and Altman was selected despite his history in Florida.

While Pinal's four suicides during the past three years don't reach totals like in some county and state jails - because of the county jail's size - the number is more than twice national rates for county jails, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Lawyer David Don has filed a lawsuit on behalf of parents whose 27-year-old son hanged himself in the jail last year.

George Horner was found dead April 1, 2007, hanging by a sheet from a vent in his cell. In a settlement offer, his family sought $600,000.

But the county rejected the offer, and the case will now go before a jury. A trial date has not been set, and sheriff's officials will not comment on the case or Horner's death.

Don also declined to talk further about the lawsuit. But in a court document filed with the county, Don wrote that the jail staff "knew that George was suffering from suicidal ideations, and that his condition required that they place him on suicide watch, to prevent his death."

When inmates are placed on suicide watch, the jail staff removes all potentially harmful items such as sheets and blankets, spokesman Michael Minter said. Officers must also check on the inmates every 15 minutes.

Horner's situation is similar to one surrounding David Neang, who committed suicide July 16.

Neang was arrested in June on suspicion of stabbing his girlfriend to death before turning the knife on himself. He survived and confessed, and was initially placed on suicide watch.

However, he was taken off the watch days later, said Pinal County Attorney's Office spokesman Kostas Kalaitzidis. Jail staff found Neang lying face-up with a sheet tied around his neck.

Lawyer William Stine said he was contacted by Neang's family to file a lawsuit. He hasn't decided if he will take the case, but he has represented other Pinal County inmates.

Stine settled a case last year for $25,000 after inmate Michael Mosman was incarcerated for 51 extra days after his sentence was completed.

Mosman told jail staff repeatedly that his time was up, and his mother also showed them paperwork proving his release, but the two were ignored, Stine said. It wasn't until a writ of habeas corpus was filed that he was released.

"It's clearly sloppy there," Stine said.

Since Altman took over, the detention staff has been investigated and punished at a rate nearly 2.5 times higher than the patrol side of the sheriff's office, records show.

Pinal County Sheriff Chris Vasquez also launched an internal investigation in November after it was discovered that jail staff were passing around inappropriate material via county e-mail accounts and computers, including pornography, games and videos. That investigation is ongoing.

Dan Pochoda, legal director for the Arizona American Civil Liberties Union, said his office has received several complaints about the Pinal County jail.

"We've been hearing about everything from people not being given clean clothes, filthy conditions and abuse," Pochoda said.