NCJ Number
150124
Journal
Jail Suicide Update Volume: 5 Issue: 4 Dated: (Spring 1994) Pages: 1-4
Date Published
1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
This is a status report on the U.S. Justice Department's investigation of 18 Mississippi city and county jails during the past year for grossly substandard living conditions and inadequate jail suicide prevention procedures.
Abstract
The investigation, which included on-site inspections of each facility, thorough critique of jail procedures, review of suicide incident reports, and interviews with both staff and inmates, was conducted in May through July 1993. All of the 18 jails were cited for various grossly inadequate conditions ranging from maggot-infested cells to racially segregated drunk tanks and life-threatening fire hazards. Other deficiencies included insufficient staffing and poor training, infrequent inmate supervision, inadequate or nonexistent medical and mental health services, and general lack of written policies and procedures. The jails had no suicide prevention programs. The Justice Department's "fact-finding" reports detail the remedial measures recommended for voluntary action. The reports recommend that suicidal and mentally ill inmates not be held longer than 48 hours except for good cause, that suicide-prevention measures be instituted, and that written policies and procedures on suicide prevention and the treatment of special-needs inmates be developed.