Print this story | E-mail story | This story has 27 comments Add your own | iPod friendly
Teens attempt hanging
Published Wednesday, July 23, 2008
NATCHEZ — On Sunday night a male inmate had to be transferred from the Adams County Juvenile Justice Center to a local hospital after hanging himself in his cell.
Detention administrator Glenn Arnold said it was late Sunday night when a detention officer saw the inmate had hung himself with a bed sheet tied to a pipe in the ceiling.
The young man was immediately taken down and paramedics were called to transport the inmate to the hospital, Arnold said.
Arnold said the quick action of the detention officers kept the situation from getting worse. Arnold said the inmate was taken down before he lost consciousness.
Arnold said a second inmate then faked a suicide attempt in hopes of being taken outside the facility to chance an escape.
However Arnold said the second attempt was unsuccessful.
Both Arnold and Youth Court Judge John Hudson said while suicide attempts are not commonplace at the juvenile detention center, they are not unheard of.
In fact, Hudson said Sunday’s incident was the third case in several weeks when a male inmate attempted to harm himself.
Neither of the previous two attempts resulted in death.
Hudson said in most detention facilities it is not uncommon for inmates who have just learned of their sentences to attempt to harm themselves.
The inmates who commit such acts normally fall into two categories Hudson said.
“Some really do want to harm them selves,” he said.
Hudson said the second group is comprised of those who think their attempt will result in some way out of a correctional facility.
Comments
Posted by grrbrts (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 1:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Why on earth are there pipes in the cell to begin with?
Posted by eaglebe (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 7:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Young man, I am sorry that you felt the need to end your life or thinking that your actions would get you out. If you are feeling hopeless, you do have a future and you can learn to make better choices. Take some time and write out the choices you made to get you where you are and figure out how not to make those bad choices again. While you are serving your time. work on improving your life: work on getting your education, a trade (skill), and above all give your life completely to Jesus and link yourself with others who are making good choices. Consider joining forces with the law enforcers and the school system and become a spokeperson to the 5th graders and above encouraging them to get their education and to make good choices. Let them know that dentention centers are not a "picnic" or a "walk in the park". Remember "Bad choice, Bad consequences, Good choices, Good consequences".
I pray that you find your good purposes in life and live them. I am expecting to hear one day that that young man that attempted to hang himself is doing great things for the Lord, for his family, and for his community. You can achieve great things.
Posted by teacher (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 7:17 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I understand what you are saying grrbtrts. It doesn't matter if it's pipes, bars, etc., when a person decides to do harm to themselves, for whatever reason, they will use whatever is available.
Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 7:25 a.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by teacher (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 7:27 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Amen eaglebe! I pray the family of the young man reads this and share it with him. Your comment is very encouraging not only to him but to others who maybe sitting next to him or maybe heading his way!
God Bless!
Posted by natsanus (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 7:35 a.m. (Suggest removal)
eaglebe your comments are just outstanding. We all hope and pray the young man and others like him will listen. It sad that normally they don't listen. They become repeat offenders. Throwing their lives away for a life of crime. Selling drugs, lying, robbing, having childern out of wedlock, not supporting their childern, hurting their family, and ect. They don't care about themselves or anybody else.
Posted by Usedtolovenatchez (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 8:05 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Eaglebe,
I agree 100% with your comments, I just hope this kid has a computer in his cell, so he can read them.
Posted by ntz143 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 8:23 a.m. (Suggest removal)
what kind of mental health services are available for juveniles in this facility?
Posted by kpage (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 8:52 a.m. (Suggest removal)
ntz143...it's probably not in the budget.
Posted by natchez500 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 9:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
what ??? problem is who is running this facility no leadership at all start at top with judge hudson and glenn arnold
Posted by harvest1 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 9:24 a.m. (Suggest removal)
eaglebe I hope you don't mind, but I copied your comment and I plan to use it with the kids that I mentor.Thanks
Posted by blessed_momma (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 9:28 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Im glad that the young man's life was spared! the enemy of our soul is doing everything possible to steal our children away from us. Every day, I hear of a fatality of a young person being taken and the person being lost. Its heart breaking. Just didnt seem so common when I was young. i believe that time is wrapping up and the enemy is out to devour and destroy ALL that he can. Mamas and Daddys, PLEASE pray for your children EVERY day! Pray a hedge of protection about them! Our children are our future.
Eagle, God bless you! Your words were truly precious and inspiring! God bless you!
Posted by kpage (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
blessed_momma...like I've been told many times before, "Stay prayed up. It's almost here".
It's terrible this boy felt the need to end his life. HIs sentence for doing wrong must have seemed like a lifetime to his young mind. I really hope he talks with someone who can help him figure out a way to accept his consequences. This boy has been given a second chance for a better life. I hope he realizes this.
The other guy was a copy-cat. Shameful.
Posted by overthehill60 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 10:36 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Thank goodness the first young man was found in time,
All attempted sicides are not reported. I guess most are written off as "getting attention" Sadly some of the ones wanting to get attentions but didn't make it just weren't found in time. I am 100% for criminals being in jail, but I do believe some need to be in mental homes & not jail.
In the last two weeks there have been two attepts that I know of, but they were caught in time.
Now this young man has put a lifetime of worry & heartship on his parents wonderinig will they try again & where did they go wrong.
We all need to pray hard for this young man & hopes he gets the help he really needs. After he gets help in a mental facility if he still needs jail send in back under close supervision.
Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 10:40 a.m. (Suggest removal)
Kpage--what does "it's almost here" mean?
Posted by jack (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 1:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
well who do you blame this on my take the parents do you know where your children are yes in the detention center
Posted by GopherBaroque (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 1:53 p.m. (Suggest removal)
That "it's almost here" comment comes from a person who believes that the end of time is near. Earthquakes, fires, floods and other afflictions will be at the end of the earth. The fact is that earthquakes, fires, floods, etc have been happening through all the time the earth has existed. They mean nothing except that nature is taking its course. Yes, the world will end but it won't be because a man made god decrees it. It will be a cosmic event. How many times over the past 4000 years as some dildo predicted the end of times and it hasn't happened yet. Maybe the Mayans are correct with their prediction that it will happen on December 21, 2012 when our sun aligns with the center of the Milky Way galuxy. Yippie Kiii Yeaaa! Here we go.
Posted by GopherBaroque (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 1:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
P.S. Once upon a time way back beyond memory when Billy Ferrell was sheriff and I was a writer Billy called me about a hanging in the old jail. A man had hung himself in a similiar manner to the juvinile in this story. They didn't get to him in time.
****
Don't commit sewer side, just ride out the good and the bad like the rest of us do.
Posted by notfromnatchez (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 2:35 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Good point Gopher. Lots of people have thought the end was near. For all the churchies, the apostle Paul thought the end was coming in his lifetime. HE WAS AN APOSTLE and he was wrong. So what does that tell you?
He was telling people not to bother getting married because there would be no time.
I guess the joke was on him.
Posted by blessed_momma (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 3:23 p.m. (Suggest removal)
When the eastern skies split, and the final trumpet sounds, we will see who the joke is on then.
God bless you all!
Posted by Bobaloo (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 4:15 p.m. (Suggest removal)
oh brother..... Armageddon....
Posted by Hardcorps (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 4:33 p.m.
(This comment was removed by the site staff.)
Posted by hoober (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 4:40 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Mercy should outway judgement
Posted by freedom42 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 4:48 p.m. (Suggest removal)
notfrom, that tells me that only God knows the hour and day of our Lord's coming. I am ready any time He calls me. Unworthy as I am, I know without a shadow of a doubt, that I will be with Him in a new heaven and a new earth, A much better place than this one that I love so much.
Posted by Peace007 (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 6:56 p.m. (Suggest removal)
notfrom, if the people had listened back then and not bothered with marriage, and since sex outside of marriage was forbidden, the world would have come to an end...well, at least people would have come to an end...I guess no one listened to him or understood what he meant...they preferred to continue on with the gnashing of teeth...which has brought us on, to now, where there is no safe place for children.
Posted by sammohon (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 9:27 p.m. (Suggest removal)
The thing I'm wondering is why the pipe was accessible. I'm an architect, I've done detention centers, jails and prisons...you don't allow the building to help the inmate to escape, either literally or physically...it seems there are two cardinal sins involved here...the suicide and the person(s) who allowed it to happen.
As a designer you have to think like a convict with a lot of time on his hands to figure out a way to defeat your security measures...then you try (you can only try) to stay ahead of them. From what has been written before here in the ND, someone didn't build this building to meet the task. Make no mistake, it is a jail!...it may have been conceived as a kinder and gentler jail, but the fact remains...it is what it is.
I can ascertain from what I knew previously and what the ND has published this building was not built to the standards necessary for it's purpose. The question then becomes why? Who determined how it was designed? Was it a budget problem? Was it inexperience with these building types? Was it a judge...an architect...an administrator...was it a BOS...and others?
There will be a lawsuit about this building eventually and we'll find out.
Posted by blessed_momma (anonymous) on July 23, 2008 at 11:03 p.m. (Suggest removal)
sammohon: I have the same ? last time it was a tv cord and the time before it was a telephone cord!
God bless all!
Post a comment (Terms of Use Policy)
(Requires free registration.)