Two People Have Died By Suicide in the New Wayne County Jail

The new Wayne County Jail, barely a month old, has been off to a rough start.

WXYZ's Ross Jones reports that two inmates have died by suicide at the new facility, just off I-75.

“Something is wrong,” Lillian Diallo, the president of the Wayne County Criminal Defense Bar Association, tells Jones. “And they need to be honest about it and work to fix it.”

In both instances, the inmates sought mental health treatment or were on a floor reserved for people with mental health issues. 

Last Saturday, one of the inmates, facing weapons charges,  was found hanging in his cell, WXYZ reports. 

The other suicide occurred on Sept. 10 when an inmate, charged with murdered, hanged himself in his cell. Jones reports that he had threatened to commit suicide before actually doing it.

The Wayne County Sheriff’s Office did not respond to WXYZ's request for comment on the most recent suicide.

The suicides are in addition to other problems at the jail including inmate protests, dayslong lockdowns, staffing shortages, deputies quitting in frustration, fights and flooding, according to the Detroit Free Press.