Jared Jon Bell Commits Suicide in Travis County, Texas Jail
The Travis County Sheriff’s Department, in Austin, Texas, filed a report with the Attorney General of Texas regarding the death of Jared Jon Bell. Mr. Bell was only 32 years old at the time of his death. We provide information from that report, and we make no allegation of any wrongdoing against anyone.
The summary portion of the report reads in its entirety:
“On February 9, 2022 the Travis County Sheriff’s Office had an inmate death in custody. The inmate is identified as Jared Jon Bell, W/M DOB: XX/XX/1989, Booking #22-2319. Inmate Bell was housed at the Travis County Jail located at 500 W. 10th Street Austin, TX 78701 on the second floor, P4 303 (Ida unit). At approximately 9:11 A.M. on February 9, 2022 Bell requested to use the phone in the Ida unit. The phone apparently did not work in that unit, so Bell was placed in the King unit dayroom at approximately 9:19 A.M. to use the phone by Corrections Officer Alex Henderson #6921. At the time, the King unit was vacant of any other inmate. At approximately 10:13 A.M. Officer Henderson discovered Bell had hanged himself while conducting a post visual by apparently wrapping the phone cord around his neck and sitting down. Officer Henderson called for assistance, and other staff members immediately responded to assist. CPR was immediately initiated by TCSO staff until paramedics arrived. Paramedics continued CPR until Bell was declared deceased at 11:07 by Doctor Abraham.”
The Travis County Sheriff’s Department did not provide any information for the following fields in the form: Death Code; Manner of Death Description; Custody Code; Code of Charges; Intoxicated; and Medical Treatment Description. However, the Travis County Sheriff’s Department indicated in its report that Mr. Bell exhibited mental health problems and made suicidal statements.
There is absolutely no reason why any suicidal person should be left in a cell or room in a Texas county jail with a phone cord which can be used as a ligature. Our law firm is handling cases involving phone cord suicides, and jailers, sheriffs, and jail administrators across the state of Texas are well-aware that phone cords, clothing, bed sheets, and similar items are used by inmates to commit suicide.
The 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right of pre-trial detainees to be protected from themselves, including suicidal tendencies. If jailers are deliberately indifferent to a suicidal inmate’s mental health needs, and/or self-harm tendencies, and/or a county has policies, practices, and/or customs which result in the suicide of an inmate, then certain surviving family members might have claims which can be filed in a federal lawsuit.
Unfortunately, it seems that further litigation will be necessary to result in Texas county jails removing phone cords from cells. The Texas Commission on Jail Standards warned all sheriffs and jail administrators, in year 2015, of the danger of phone cords being used to commit suicide.
Dean Malone
Dean Malone