In a place that, by design, is so hard to leave, a new effort is underway to ensure everyone walks out when their sentences are served.
Since becoming sheriff of Bristol County, Massachusetts, last January, Paul Heroux has made suicide prevention a priority.
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"We want everybody to go out better than they arrived," Heroux said.
When Heroux became sheriff after defeating longtime and controversial incumbent Thomas Hodgson in an election, he says suicides in the Bristol County Jail in Dartmouth were three times the national average.
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"For me not take that up would be negligent, it would also be kind of inhumane," Heroux said Tuesday.
If you or someone you know is in crisis, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline or chat live at 988lifeline.org. You can also visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional support.
The sheriff added that he hired prison suicide expert Lindsay Hayes to review the department's procedures.
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Hayes returned 23 recommendations. One major issue revealed was the last seven suicides inside the Dartmouth jail involved bunk beds.
"You have to care, and you got to be creative, if you are creative and you care, you can come up with a lot of solutions," Heroux said.
On Tuesday, several inmates were busy modifying the bunk beds inside one housing unit. The sheriff says each bed costs about $15 to modify.
Inmates are also installing mesh guards over the windows, addressing another area of concern covered in the report.
"It is not only giving these inmates a skill, once they are released, it is also saving lives," said Chris Horta, director of support services for the Bristol County Sheriff's Office. "They are saving lives without even knowing it."
The sheriff says there are about 1,144 beds on the Dartmouth campus, and all will be modified -- important work to ensure everyone stays safe, according to Heroux.
"A lot of people seem to forget that, 'Oh they are criminals, throw away the key, stick it to them.' Well, yeah, but they lost their freedom. That is their punishment, not the horrible conditions," he said. "Our job isn't to punish people. Their punishment is being here, that is the punishment."
