Tyler Thomas Ross entered Bell County Jail in Belton, Texas, on July 3, 2023, at 7:50 PM. Later that same night, he was found hanging in the holding cell where he had been placed. He was transported by ambulance to Baylor Scott and White Hospital and admitted. The 23-year-old was pronounced deceased by a physician there on July 11, 2023. The custodial death report prepared by Bell County Jail staff shows that the means of his death was hanging, or strangulation. The official cause of death, however, is awaiting the results of an autopsy.

So-called Manipulative Suicide Attempts

There are many times when the behaviors of inmates who make an attempt at suicide are viewed as manipulative. Male detainees with sociopathic or antisocial personalities tend to be more prone to make manipulative attempts because they may be having difficulty adapting to the collective, over-controlled conditions of the jail. Some detainees may engage in self-harming behavior as a way of reducing tension.

Female detainees who have repeatedly engaged in self-mutilation by burning or slashing themselves may do this in response to the stress triggered by confinement.

There are indications that many of these incidents involve a high degree of suicidal intent as well as a desire to draw attention to their emotional distress or to influence one’s management.

It is very dangerous when jail staff, due to frequent incidents of manipulation, don’t take suicidal gestures seriously. Suicide prevention measures cannot be effective unless detainees’ suicidal behaviors are taken seriously.

Learn more in Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4 of this series.

One of this website’s purposes is to provide information to help Texas inmates who are or have been incarcerated in a county or city jail in the state and their families. Insinuating that a person or institution has been involved in misdeeds is never intended.

–Guest Contributor