NCJ Number
159028
Date Published
1995
Length
173 pages
Annotation
This curriculum is designed to help law enforcement, jail administrators and their staff, and contract mental health and medical personnel understand and prevent suicidal behavior among inmates in jails and lockups.
Abstract
The curriculum provides a lesson plan outline and 19 chapters, including an introduction and conclusion, which cover facts and fiction about jail suicide, findings from national jail suicide research, factors predisposing jail environments to suicide attempts, predisposing factors of suicidal behavior among inmates, high-risk suicide periods, signs and symptoms of suicidal behavior, and situational risk factors. Other topics include stress situations, the role of arresting and investigating officers in preventing suicide, the assessment of suicidal risk, and issues related to the housing and supervision of suicidal inmates. The curriculum discusses standard intervention for hanging attempts, follow-up procedures, jail design as it relates to suicide prevention, controversial issues in suicide prevention, and jail suicide litigation. 7 appendixes