Preventing Suicides in Texas County Jails 2016

The Clinic is co-counseling with the Texas Civil Rights Project to represent the parents and estate of Amber May, a 35-year old Texas mother of two who died after hanging herself in the Ochiltree County Jail in north Texas. The lawsuit brining claims under the Americans with Disabilities Act is filed in federal court in Amarillo. Amber May had a psychiatric disability, and the lawsuit alleges that the County failed to provide Amber reasonable accommodations, in the form of safe housing and regular monitoring, despite knowing of her illness and her elevated suicide risk. Clinic students are working on document discovery, motions, depositions, and mediation preparation in the case. We are also working with TCRP to investigate a recent spate of jail suicides in Bexar County Jail.