DARTMOUTH — The Bristol County Sheriff’s Office has gone three consecutive years without an inmate suicide, marking the first time in decades the jail system has reached that milestone, according to Sheriff Paul Heroux.
Heroux said the last inmate suicide in Bristol County custody occurred on Jan. 5, 2023, his second day in office. The individual had been awaiting trial and was transferred to Bristol County from another jail because of the high-profile nature of the alleged crime, according to the sheriff.
Before 2023, the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office recorded between one and four inmate suicides in most years dating back to 1998. At the time, the office’s inmate suicide rate was the highest in Massachusetts and three times the national average.
After taking office in January 2023, Heroux contracted with Lindsay Hayes, a consultant who specializes in suicide prevention in correctional facilities. Hayes reviewed Bristol County’s policies and procedures and issued a report in April 2023 that included 23 recommendations aimed at reducing inmate suicide. A 24th recommendation urged the department to implement the other 23.
The Hayes report addressed housing practices for inmates identified as suicidal, stating that isolation should be avoided whenever possible and that individuals should be housed in general population units, mental health units, or medical infirmaries located close to staff. The report recommended the use of suicide-resistant, protrusion-free cells and stated that removal of clothing, use of physical restraints, and cancellation of routine privileges should be limited and used only as a last resort during periods of active self-destructive behavior. The review also noted that several designated cells in Bristol County facilities contained structural features, including bunk bed frames as well as exposed horizontal and vertical cell bars and conduit piping on the walls, that could present potential hazards.
The sheriff’s office said it has adopted all 24 recommendations, though some measures — including hiring additional staff and modifying cells to make them more suicide-resistant — remain ongoing and are being completed incrementally.
Heroux said the improvements do not guarantee inmate suicides will not occur in the future.
“There is no correctional facility anywhere that can claim to eliminate or stop inmate suicide,” Heroux said. “While we have made progress reducing the rate of suicide, we cannot eliminate or completely stop inmate suicide.”
The announcement, he said, is intended to document progress rather than declare the issue solved.
“This announcement is intended to serve as a notice of progress in reducing the rate; this is not ‘Mission Accomplished,’ or a claim that we eliminated inmate suicide or that there will never be an inmate suicide again, despite our improved policies and practices,” Heroux said.