Unassessed Suicide Risk - Undiagnosed Depression - Jail Suicide

In the last thirty years, American society has made the policy decision to deinstitutionalize mental health patients by closing down public psychiatric hospitals and reintegrating persons into the community, where they could receive the benefit of community-based mental health treatment and medication. Unfortunately, the treatment part of the deinstitutionalization project was never properly funded. The unfortunate result is that many thousands of mentally ill people are left to fend for themselves, until they come to the attention of law enforcement. It has been estimated that as many as 500,000 mentally ill persons are confined in United States jails and prisons.

In cases where the mental illness involved is depression, the result of official intervention can be suicide in a jail cell or other institutional setting. If you have lost a loved one to suicide in an institutional setting as a result of untreated or misdiagnosed depression or other mental illness, contact the Cleveland wrongful death attorneys at Friedman, Domiano & Smith. We know how to investigate and prove cases of official negligence resulting in jail suicide or other self-destructive behavior.

When law enforcement or other authorities assume the custody of any person, they also assume the responsibility for keeping them safe, and for protecting such persons and others from their violent or aberrant behavior. Where the victim has a history of previous jail cell suicide attempts or other self-destructive conduct, miscommunication between authorities can result in the failure to provide adequate monitoring or protective custody. Where lapses in official responsibility result in death by suicide, the authorities or their mental health professionals can be held liable.

Our lawyers know how to investigate and prove liability due to negligence in cases involving preventable suicide in a variety of settings—not only in jails and prisons—but also in nursing homes, detoxification or residential drug treatment centers, or any other setting where the authorities play an important role in protecting an inmate, or patient.

For further information about our ability to help your family in cases involving misdiagnosed suicide risk, contact the Ohio wrongful death lawyers at our law firm.