If he dies, Andrew John Ballou, who turned 30 Tuesday, would be the fifth inmate to die in the detention center this year and the third to kill himself, officials said.

Terry Kokolis, the Jennifer Road Detention Center administrator, said a correctional officer found Mr. Ballou at about 2:30 a.m. Friday hanging in a private cell off a public-intake dormitory.

He said it was a attempted suicide, adding that Mr. Ballou used a pair of pants to hang himself from a top bunk. County police are investigating.

Jail staff had screened Mr. Ballou for suicidal tendencies when he was booked on Oct. 1.

They determined he was fit for general population.

"It's terribly unfortunate," said Mr. Kokolis, noting that Mr. Ballou faced only minor drug charges. Mr. Ballou was arrested Oct. 1 on a Baltimore City arrest warrant.

He was charged with possession of heroin and was awaiting a transfer to Baltimore City.

"You wouldn't expect someone with a $500 bond to resort to this," Mr. Kokolis said.

Mr. Ballou's family said he is on life support at Anne Arundel Medical Center.

"They are saying he will probably never come back," said Kelly Ballou, Mr. Ballou's brother.

He said doctors are asking him to turn off the machines, but he said he is not yet ready.

Ongoing review

The recent streak of jail deaths has Robin Harting, superintendent of county detention centers, and several county councilmen worried.

Prior to this year, the last inmate suicide was in December 2003. And after the last inmate killed himself inside an intake cell July 26, Ms. Harting announced plans to review how her staff screens inmates for suicidal tendencies.

"We want to make sure we are doing everything we can do," she said at the time.

Mr. Kokolis said a consultant from the National Institute of Corrections will be at the jail Oct. 29 and Oct. 30.

"She will be evaluating every bit of our (screening) process," he said.

Monteray Arkell Hastey, 37, of Annapolis committed suicide on Jan. 4 and Tyrell Dominique Taylor, 31, of Glen Burnie committed suicide July 26. Both were deemed fit for general population shortly before they hanged themselves with sheets inside their respective intake cells.

Kelly Ballou chastised the jail staff for not doing more to protect inmates.

"They are not doing their jobs," he said.

Kelly Ballou also said he does not believe his brother - a heroin addict for at least five years who paid the bills by selling scrap metal - tried to kill himself. He said his brother told him two days before he was arrested that he was depressed and wanted to die. But, he said, his brother said he could never take his own life for fear that would keep him out of heaven.

"It just doesn't seem right," he said, calling his brother a "God-fearing guy." "He knew he was going to get bailed out Monday."

Mr. Kokolis said Mr. Ballou was alone in a locked cell for about 90 minutes before he was discovered unconscious at 2:30 a.m. He said correctional officers checked on him every 15 minutes and did not notice any problems at 2:15 a.m. In just 15 minutes Mr. Ballou hanged himself, he said.

Mr. Kokolis noted that a correctional officer immediately called for help at 2:30 a.m., entered the cell, and placed Mr. Ballou on the floor. There, officers began cardiopulmonary resuscitation, he said.

"They were able to return a pulse," he said. "He is still alive because of that immediate action."

Suicide screening

The county currently screens inmates like most other jurisdictions in Maryland. Ms. Harting said a medical professional on staff at the jail - usually a nurse - questions the inmates about their physical and mental health within four hours of being booked into the detention facility.

The nurse asks an inmate 29 questions from a special questionnaire during the mental-health screening to determine whether he should be placed on suicide watch or another form of segregation. The questions revolve primarily around the inmate's medical history, including whether they are on psychiatric medications, have attempted suicide before or spent time in a mental hospital.

The nurse also asks questions about the inmate's feelings and looks to see if he is showing any signs of depression or anxiety, Ms. Harting said.

Ms. Harting said the Maryland Commission on Correctional Standards requires inmates be screened for mental health problems within 24 hours.

Recent deaths

In addition to the apparent suicides, two other inmates have died in the jail this year. They happened in a span of just three weeks in January and early February and just two weeks after Hastey killed himself.

Michael G. McCormick, 49, of Odenton died Jan. 15 after spending the night in a cell. An autopsy found he died of blunt force trauma combined with alcohol ketosis. The medical examiner couldn't say how he received his injuries, but a cellmate told police Mr. McCormick was drunk and fell out of his bunk.

Mr. McCormick was booked into the jail Jan. 14 after he showed up for traffic court with a 0.32 blood-alcohol content. Mr. McCormick's family is considering a lawsuit.

James Leroy Downs, 45, of Pasadena died Feb. 1 after six weeks in the detention center. Jail officials said he suffered a heart attack and an autopsy determined he had heart disease.

Mr. Downs was arrested Dec. 22 on misdemeanor drug charges.