NCJ Number
191623
Journal
Prison Review International Issue: 1 Dated: July 2001 Pages: 128-130
Date Published
July 2001
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article discusses inmate suicide and ways to prevent it.
Abstract
Suicide in U.S. prisons occurs at a rate approximately nine times higher than in the general public. The prevention of inmate suicide is more crucial than ever in an age of constant litigation and liability. The article reviews some steps an institution can take to decrease the rate of suicides and their own liability. Establishing a reasonable standard of supervision and observing a potentially suicidal inmate more frequently can decrease liability significantly. Suicide watch-cells equipped with specifically designed safety cameras make constant surveillance possible. Two of every three suicides occur in isolation cells. Measures should be taken to ensure that inmates in isolation are observed either directly or with a closed circuit television (CCTV) camera that is constantly monitored. A refinement of this approach is Integrated Day-Night cameras, essentially CCTV cameras with night vision capability. Such cameras can view an entire prison cell, including all four walls and every square foot of its floor, even in total darkness.