International

National study of Jail suicide, 20 years later (2010) U.S. Department of Justice  National Institute of Corrections

This report represents the third collaboration between the National Institute of Corrections and the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) regarding national studies of jail suicide. During the 1980s, two NCIA studies found high rates of suicide in county jails throughout the country. Although suicide continues to be a leading cause of death in jails, the rate of suicide continues to decrease, as demonstrated in this report, National Study of Jail Suicide: 20 Years Later. Yet this report does more than simply present a calculation of suicide rates. It presents the most comprehensive updated information on the extent and distribution of inmate suicides through­ out the country, including data on the changing face of suicide victims. Most important, the study challenges both jail and health-care officials and their respective staffs to remain diligent in iden­tifying and managing suicidal inmates. The National Institute of Corrections hopes that this report will encourage continued research, training, and development and revision of comprehensive pre­vention programs that are critical to the continued reduction of jail suicide throughout the country.

http://static.nicic.gov/Library/024308.pdf

Si le lien est brisé: http://prevention.suicide.free.fr/files/SuicideStudy-20YearsLater.pdf

George. F. Parker; MD. (2009) Impact of a Mental Health Training Course for Correctional Officers on a Special Housing Unit; PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES ‘ psychiatryonline.org ‘ May 2009   Vol. 60   No. 5

Objective: This study determined the impact of a ten-hour mental health training program developed by the Indiana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-Indiana) for correctional officers on a prison special housing (“supermax”) unit. Methods: The training was delivered to all of the correctional officers on the unit in five weekly sessions and was repeated 15 months later for new unit staff. The number of incidents reported by unit staff in standard monthly reports, consisting of use of force by the officers and battery by bodily waste on the officers by the offenders, was compared for the nine months before and after both training sessions. Results: Attendance at the initial training ranged from 48 to 57 officers per session, and on the basis of Likert ratings, training was well received by the officers. The total number of incidents, the use of force by the officers, and battery by bodily waste all declined significantly after the first mental health training, and the total number of incidents and battery by bodily waste declined significantly after the second training. Conclusions: The provision of ten hours of mental health training to correctional officers was associated with a significant decline in use of force and battery by bodily waste. (Psychiatric Services 60:640–645, 2009)

http://journals.psychiatryonline.org/

Albert De Amicis, MPPM; University of Phoenix Faculty (September 14, 2009) Suicide in Correctional Facilities

ABSTRACT
This paper addresses suicide prevention which is a very difficult problem that administrators in correctional facilities face on a daily basis. The substance of this policy paper analyzes that problem in depth. There are two alternative policies that this analyst researched. The first is the Hayes, Hunter, Moore, and Thigpen 1995 report on Elayn Hunt Correctional Center (EHCC): Suicide Prevention Plan. This facility is located in Louisville, Kentucky. The final policy analyzed was a written article in 1991 by Marc Friedman. This program is used at Jefferson County Corrections Department. The program is entitled Inmate Watch Program Helps Prevent Suicide. This program is similar to other correctional systems, such as the Federal Bureau of Prisons who use inmates to observe other inmates who are placed under suicide watch. In 2000 the city and county governments had merged, and the name Jefferson County Corrections Department became “Louisville Metro Department of Corrections”. In conclusion, these alternative policies were evaluated by using criterion such as technical feasibility, economic efficiency, political viability, and administrative operability. This analyst hopes that the ideation of these options substantiated by these reports will be beneficial for the problem of dealing with a very difficult dilemma in corrections, suicide prevention.

There are two primary causes for jail suicides theorized by Hayes, Hunter, Moore, and Thigpen (1995):
First, jail environments are conducive to suicidal behavior and, second, the inmate is facing a crisis situation. From the inmate’s perspective, certain features of the jail environment enhance suicidal behavior: fear of the unknown, distrust of the authoritarian environment, lack of apparent control over the future, isolation from family and significant others, shame of incarceration, and the dehumanizing aspects of incarceration.
In addition, certain factors often found in inmates facing a crisis situation could predispose them to suicide: recent excessive drinking and /or use of drugs, recent loss of stabilizing resources, severe guilt or shame over the alleged offense, and current mental illness and/or prior history of suicidal behavior. These factors become exacerbated during the first 24 hours of incarceration, when the majority of jail suicides occur. Inmates attempting suicide are often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and placed in isolation. In addition, many jail suicide victims are young and generally have been arrested for non-violent, alcohol-related offenses. Although prison suicide victims share some of these characteristics, the precipitating factors in suicidal behavior among prison inmates are somewhat different and fester over time (Hayes, Hunter, Moore, and Thigpen, 1995, pp-2). Different studies have analyzed intake and bookings into jails and lock-up facilities during the early going of these inmates’ incarceration. They also reflect the importance of good intake procedures and just how vital they’re for identifying suicidal characteristics

https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/228802.pdf?q=national-study-of-jail-suicides-seven-years-later (pdf)