Jail screening procedure due review after suicide

A national agency will review screening procedures at Anne Arundel County jails after an inmate attempted suicide last week, jail officials said yesterday. Four inmates have died at the Jennifer Road Detention Center this year, including two who took their own lives. A consultant with the National Institute of Corrections will visit the jail this month to see if mental health screening tests can be improved to prevent future suicides, said jail administrator Terry Kokolis. "It's tragic," Kokolis said. "We don't expect to discharge people in worse shape than they come in. Quite the opposite - we like to discharge people in better condition than when they come in." Jail officials have begun more rigorous screenings to determine whether inmates are suicidal, he said. About 2:30 a.m. Oct. 3, a correctional officer found Andrew J.... [read full story]