Albert De Amicis, MPPM; University of Phoenix Faculty (September 14, 2009) Suicide in Correctional Facilities
ABSTRACT
This paper addresses suicide prevention which is a very difficult problem that administrators in correctional facilities face on a daily basis. The substance of this policy paper analyzes that problem in depth. There are two alternative policies that this analyst researched. The first is the Hayes, Hunter, Moore, and Thigpen 1995 report on Elayn Hunt Correctional Center (EHCC): Suicide Prevention Plan. This facility is located in Louisville, Kentucky. The final policy analyzed was a written article in 1991 by Marc Friedman. This program is used at Jefferson County Corrections Department. The program is entitled Inmate Watch Program Helps Prevent Suicide. This program is similar to other correctional systems, such as the Federal Bureau of Prisons who use inmates to observe other inmates who are placed under suicide watch. In 2000 the city and county governments had merged, and the name Jefferson County Corrections Department became “Louisville Metro Department of Corrections”. In conclusion, these alternative policies were evaluated by using criterion such as technical feasibility, economic efficiency, political viability, and administrative operability. This analyst hopes that the ideation of these options substantiated by these reports will be beneficial for the problem of dealing with a very difficult dilemma in corrections, suicide prevention.
There are two primary causes for jail suicides theorized by Hayes, Hunter, Moore, and Thigpen (1995):
First, jail environments are conducive to suicidal behavior and, second, the inmate is facing a crisis situation. From the inmate’s perspective, certain features of the jail environment enhance suicidal behavior: fear of the unknown, distrust of the authoritarian environment, lack of apparent control over the future, isolation from family and significant others, shame of incarceration, and the dehumanizing aspects of incarceration.
In addition, certain factors often found in inmates facing a crisis situation could predispose them to suicide: recent excessive drinking and /or use of drugs, recent loss of stabilizing resources, severe guilt or shame over the alleged offense, and current mental illness and/or prior history of suicidal behavior. These factors become exacerbated during the first 24 hours of incarceration, when the majority of jail suicides occur. Inmates attempting suicide are often under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs and placed in isolation. In addition, many jail suicide victims are young and generally have been arrested for non-violent, alcohol-related offenses. Although prison suicide victims share some of these characteristics, the precipitating factors in suicidal behavior among prison inmates are somewhat different and fester over time (Hayes, Hunter, Moore, and Thigpen, 1995, pp-2). Different studies have analyzed intake and bookings into jails and lock-up facilities during the early going of these inmates’ incarceration. They also reflect the importance of good intake procedures and just how vital they’re for identifying suicidal characteristics
https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/228802.pdf?q=national-study-of-jail-suicides-seven-years-later (pdf)
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