NCJ Number
64500
Date Published
1978
Length
12 pages
Annotation
THIS SUPPLEMENT UPDATES A PREVIOUS REPORT ON INMATE SELF-MUTILATION AT TWO VIRGINIA INSTITUTIONS, TO INCLUDE INCIDENTS WHICH OCCURRED DURING JULY AND AUGUST OF 1978 IN THE VIRGINIA PENITENTIARY.
Abstract
THE 25 INCIDENTS WHICH OCCURRED AT THE PENITENTIARY DURING JULY AND AUGUST INVOLVED 13 INDIVIDUALS, ONLY 4 OF WHOM HAD NEVER PREVIOUSLY INJURED THEMSELVES. TWO INMATES WHO HAD INJURED THEMSELEVES ONCE DURING 1978 DID SO AGAIN IN JULY OR AUGUST. OF THE FOUR NEW INMATES INVOLVED IN THE JULY AND AUGUST INCIDENTS, THREE INJURED THEMSELVES ONLY ONCE DURING THOSE MONTHS. UPDATED TABLES SHOW THE FREQUENCY OF MULTIPLE SELF-INJURIES WITHIN THE SAME MONTH AND ON THE SAME OR CONSECUTIVE DAYS, THE TYPE OF INJURY, THE TYPE OF INSTRUMENT USED, TREATMENT LOCATION, INMATE LOCATION AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, AND THE TIME OF DAY WHEN THE INCIDENT OCCURRED. OF THE FOUR INMATES INVOLVED IN SELF-MUTILATION, THREE WERE WHITE AND ONE BLACK. ONE OF THE FOUR WAS COMMITTED FOR BURGLARY, ONE FOR ASSAULT, ONE FOR LARCENY, AND ONE FOR PROPERTY DAMAGE. THE NEW INMATES WERE SERVING SENTENCES OF 30 YEARS, 8 YEARS, 3 YEARS, AND 24 MONTHS. OVERALL, THE RATES OF SELF-MUTILATION AT THE PENITENTIARY ARE HIGH; THE JULY 1978 FIGURE REPRESENTS AN INCREASE OF 60 PERCENT OVER THE JULY 1977 FIGURE, AND THE AUGUST FIGURE REPRESENTS A 20 PERCENT INCREASE OVER LAST AUGUST. IF THIS RATE CONTINUES, 150 INCIDENTS AT THE PENITENTIARY WILL BE RECORDED FOR 1979, REPRESENTING AN INCREASE OF OVER 50 PERCENT FROM 1978. THESE ADDITIONAL INCIDENTS DURING JULY AND AUGUST DO NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CHANGE THE BASIC FINDINGS OF THE ORIGINAL REPORT. DATA ON SELF-MUTILATION IN ARIZONA AND COLORADO ARE NOTED. A GRAPH IS INCLUDED. SEE ALSO NCJ 64499. (WJR)