NCJ Number
135576
Date Published
1989
Length
20 pages
Annotation
This chapter profiles the problem of jail and police lockup suicides and presents a cooperative interagency model that has been developed in New York State to address this issue.
Abstract
The jail suicide rate is three and one-half times greater than that of the general population according to Danto (1983). New York State used an interagency model to address this problem. The New York State Office of Mental Health Bureau of Forensic Services, the New York State Office of Mental Health Bureau of Evaluation Research, the New York State Commission of Correction Medical Review Bureau, and Ulster County Mental Health Services collaborated with a statewide advisory committee in the initial design of the crisis model for jails, lockups, and mental health agencies. The statewide advisory committee had representatives from various criminal justice and social service agencies. The suicide prevention model eventually adopted consists of four major components: policies and procedures, a training program for correctional/police staff, screening guidelines, and a mental health practitioner training manual. A cornerstone of the model is the screening process that was developed to help jail or police staff identify high-risk inmates. This process focuses on three groups of risk variables: the personal characteristics of the inmate, such factors as intoxication that enhance the risk level at the time of intake, and high stress situations. The implementation of the model requires close cooperation between mental health agencies and local detention/correctional facilities. 27 references