NCJ Number
66234
Date Published
1979
Length
20 pages
Annotation
EXPLORATORY AND EXPERIMENTAL FINDINGS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ARE PRESENTED REGARDING A SUICIDE PREVENTION PROJECT AT THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN CORRECTIONAL CENTER.
Abstract
FROM 1976 THROUGH 1978, THE NEW YORK METROPOLITAN CORRECTIONAL CENTER, A FEDERAL FACILITY FOR HOUSING THOSE TO APPEAR BEFORE THE FEDERAL COURTS OF NEW YORK AND NEW JERSEY, CONDUCTED A FOUR-PHASE PROJECT TO UNDERSTAND AND PREVENT SUICIDAL ACTIONS BY ITS INMATES. EXPLORATORY FINDINGS REVEALED THE HIGH RATE OF ARRIVALS AND UNPREDICTABLE ARRIVAL TIMES OF NEW INMATES, THE OFF-HOURS PATTERN OF SELF-DETRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR AT THE FACILITY, AND THE POTENTIAL IN THE RECEIVING AND DISCHARGE AND ADMISSION AND ORIENTATION SECTIONS FOR DETECTION OF BEHAVIOR PROBLEMS. THE FIRST PART OF THE EXPERIMENTAL PROGRAM TESTED THE EXTENT TO WHICH DIRECT INTERVIEWS WITH SOME INCOMING INMATES AND REFERRALS OF THOSE AT RISK COULD REDUCE SUICIDAL AND OTHER PROBLEMATIC BEHAVIOR. THE USE OF EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL GROUPS, WITH CONTROLS NOT RECEIVING INTERVIEWS, ESTABLISHED THE VALUE OF INTERVIEWS AND SUBSEQUENT REFERRALS. A SECOND PART OF THE EXPERIMENT AIMED TO EXPAND THE IMPACT OF THE INTERVIEW-REFERRAL SEQUENCE TO INCLUDE ALL THE NEW INMATES. INFORMATION WAS SOUGHT FROM MARSHALS DELIVERING THE INMATES AND STAFF CONTACTING THE NEW INMATES TO DETERMINE WHICH OF THE INCOMING INMATES MIGHT BE IN GREATEST NEED OF INTERVIEWS WITH THE PSYCHOLOGIST. OF THE 515 INMATES SCREENED DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS OF 1978, NOT ONE COMMITTED A SELF-DESTRUCTIVE OR SUICIDAL ACTION. AN INSTITUTION-WIDE STRATEGY RATHER THAN A NARROW PROFESSIONAL APPROACH WAS FOUND TO BE MOST EFFECTIVE IN DETECTING POTENTIAL SELF-DESTRUCTIVE BEHAVIOR AND PREVENTING IT. (RCB)