The state corrections commissioner mandated a quality review and corrective actions by the Chautauqua County Jail after a 2024 suicide attempt.

An inmate was seriously injured July 11, 2024, after jumping off the jail roof, according to a Corrections Commission report that is heavily redacted. Corrections officers were confronting him after he climbed the jail fence. The man jumped directly after getting pepper-sprayed by officers.

The inmate, who survived and was returned to jail after a hospitalization for his injuries, was in jail as a robbery suspect. He stated during arrest that he was going to take his own life or attempt to get killed by law enforcement. A suicide note was found in his cell after he jumped off the roof.

However, a review by state Corrections Commission staff found that none of the boxes were checked on the inmate’s suicide risk screening. The jail employee responsible for the error told the state she was completing another assessment and inadvertently failed to check any of the suicide boxes.

The questioner also failed to check the “yes” or “no” boxes on a query regarding sexual abuse or offenses.

“The Medical Review Board opines that although (the inmate) had an appropriate psychiatric assessment prior to removal from constant supervision, there was a lack of a defined treatment plan and suicide risk follow-up to monitor (him) upon return to general population,” the Corrections Commission report states.

Jail staff also failed to apply a cervical collar to the inmate after he hit the ground. They had previously released him into the general jail population despite failing to properly screen him for alcohol, after he had reported a history of heavy alcohol consumption.

The Corrections Commission mandated a quality assurance review as to why the alcohol, suicide, and sex abuse screenings were mismanaged, and why there was no cervical collar used after the jump.

The jail administration “indicated that the requested reviews were completed,” according to the state’s report. “Corrective action will be verified by the commission at a later scheduled facility evaluation.”