NCJ Number
179785
Journal
American Jails Volume: 13 Issue: 4 Dated: September/October 1999 Pages: 27-30
Date Published
October 1999
Length
4 pages
Annotation
Most jail suicide litigation focuses on problems related to correctional officer training and the assessment, housing, observation, and referral of suicidal prisoners, but it is difficult to assess the prevalence of jail suicide because adequate national and State reporting systems do not exist, and no studies have been conducted since those funded by the National Institution of Corrections in the 1980's.
Abstract
Jails generally use some form of suicide assessment. The most typical approach involves a form requiring the correctional officer to fill in a blank that lists "suicidal" with a "yes" or a "no" response. Other approaches are more detailed and may ask if the inmate has a history of suicide. These approaches are inadequate, and most correctional officers do not know how to identify a potentially suicidal inmate. The National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) has developed standards for health services in jails that cover suicide risk assessment and prevention. Housing placement is critical for suicidal inmates who should be housed in an area readily accessible and visible to correctional officers. Suicide prevention protocols developed by the NCCHC can be used to facilitate the housing and observation of potentially suicidal inmates. These protocols identify four levels of observation for inmates who have actually attempted suicide, inmates who are considered at high risk for suicide, inmates who are considered at moderate risk for suicide, and inmates who are considered at risk for severe depression or suicide. The implementation of adequate suicide risk assessment and prevention procedures in small jails is discussed. 1 reference and 7 endnotes