A Prisoner Attempts Suicide in Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas
At Bell County Central Jail in Belton, Texas, prisoner Eli Gauna Jr., age 23, attempted to commit suicide on January 1, 2018. Bell County Correctional Officers were advised that Gauna was hanging inside of a jail cell. They went to the cell and provided medical assistance. He was then transported to Baylor Scott and White Emergency for further medical treatment. The injuries are serious, and his family was notified about the suicide attempt. Gauna had been incarcerated for less than 48 hours before the incident. The Texas Rangers are investigating the attempted suicide. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards (TCJS) will also conduct an investigation, to determine whether minimum jail standards were being upheld at the time the incident occurred.
Suicide attempts can obviously do serious harm very quickly. On October 19, 2017, 27-year-old Anthony Luna hung himself in the booking unit of Bexar County Jail in Texas. Deputies quickly intervened, and Luna was hospitalized at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital. Unfortunately, he died two days later, on the 21st of October.
During investigations into custodial deaths and attempted jail suicide, jail records are carefully studied. One of the things that is always checked by investigators with TCJS is whether welfare checks of prisoners were being conducted as required by Texas law. When a person is in a holding or detox cell, per TCJS standards, there should be checks every 30 minutes at the least, for example. Members of jail staff have been held accountable for failing in these types of responsibilities.
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