Safety job one inside A Pod 1

Aug. 26--The color palette of the Clark County Jail's redesigned anti-suicide wing ranges from baby to cerulean, a two-toned infusion of blue intended to soothe an anguished mind.

And for Ric Bishop, the jail chief, it's an early step in revamping the jail, starting with a much-discussed area.

"This is our starting point," Bishop said, pointing to the "blue room." "We are looking at different ways of operating the jail."

In less than a month, the jail plans to open the new wing, known as A Pod 1. The cluster of cells has been more than a year in the works. Its opening comes as the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office concludes an investigation into the apparent suicide death of James Sapp, an inmate accused of shooting and critically injuring a Vancouver police officer.

While the color scheme is the most striking addition to A Pod, it's not the only change in the five-cell cluster.

Phones are built directly into the wall, so they're missing their metal cords, which can be used as a sort of noose.

The beds, too, are "suicide proof," Bishop said. They're little more than sturdy blue plastic planks bolted to the ground, but they can withstand two adults stomping away on them. Their addition means there are no bunks in the pod, which could also be used to hang oneself.

The entire pod is protrusion-free, including the toilets. Where there would normally be a flush handle, there's now a button. Even the towel hooks are gone, replaced by a ball-bearing device that latches the cloth into place.

"We've been very cognizant to have as few protrusions as possible," Bishop said.

The revamped suicide wing is the first in a multi-phase effort to remodel the jail. Suicide prevention shot to the top of the list, in part as a result over concerns about previous jail deaths.

Curbing inmate suicides has been a point of emphasis for the jail for years, as it has for other jails across the county. Between 2000 and 2011, the most recent period for which data is available, suicides accounted for an annual average of 41 deaths per 100,000 inmates, according to the U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics.

But the issue finally reached the limelight locally in 2012, when four inmate suicides precipitated a discussion about what steps were needed to protect inmates from themselves.

Over the past two years, the number of suicides has dropped. In the past year, there have been three attempts, with the last one, Sapp's, resulting in death. That comes as the average number of inmates on suicide watch has nudged up.

Don Greenwood, a retired Episcopalian priest and mental health advocate for inmates, said he was pleased by the changes to the jail's anti-suicide wing.

Greenwood for years has advocated for better resources for mentally ill inmates, pushing for changes within the jail.

He said more could be done at the Clark County Jail, but what those steps are would likely depend on how much money the sheriff's office has available. And the reality is, the jail isn't flush with cash.

The sheriff's office has spent $295,577 of the $545,000 allotted by commissioners for suicide prevention, though not all of that was spent on A Pod 1.

"They have to work with what they have," Greenwood said. "They have done the best they can with what they have."

But in addition to changes to the physical structure of the jail, Greenwood said, there also needs to be changes in training, too. Identifying mentally ill inmates when they're processed would be a step in that direction.

Even then, pinpointing suicidal inmates is imperfect. The jail uses intercepted letters, remarks they've made to officers and other inmates and behavior to determine whether someone should be placed on suicide watch.

At the time of Sapp's death, he'd been cleared by mental health professionals and placed in safety-security housing, a step above protective custody.

Kimberly Beltran, the jail commander, said the jail is tasked with protecting both inmates and the community. Otherwise, the jail could be sued.

"I think risk management and fiscal prudence is the right thing to do," she said.

The next step for the jail will be remodeling a cluster of cells near A Pod 1 to make them suicide-proof as well.

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