NCJ Number
154412
Date Published
1994
Length
21 pages
Annotation
This paper describes the Rhode Island Adult Correctional Institution's Lifeline Program, which was established in July 1989 to help prevent inmate suicides.
Abstract
The program trains inmates as peer counselors; they identify and befriend depressed, potentially suicidal inmates and alert the medical and psychology staff to such inmates. The inmate volunteers also make a special effort to talk to all new inmates, since the first few nights in prison are some of the most critical in the prevention of suicide. The peer counselors inform new inmates about the daily routine of prison life and attempt to allay their fears and uncertainty about prison life. The program director meets weekly with the Lifeliners (inmates). In these meetings, training is provided and the problems of inmates are discussed, experiences are shared, and counsel is sought and given. The meeting also serves as a means of managing the stress experienced by the Lifeliners, due primarily to their having been on the alert for despairing and suicidal inmates. One of the advantages of using inmates to help in suicide prevention is that they may be more attuned than staff to what is happening in the prison because of the prison "grapevine." They are informed when an inmate has received bad news from his attorney, a "Dear John" letter from a girlfriend, a lengthy sentence, or other upsetting news. Statistics on inmate suicides before and after the introduction of the Lifeline program show that the inmate suicide rate has decreased significantly. The paper includes information on program principles of intervention, the responsibilities of peer counselors, and a list of suicide prevention tools.