Critical Issues - Suicide in Correctional Settings
From: Bull Am Academy Psychiatry Law, Vol. 22, No. 4, 1994
Preventing Jailhouse Suicides
Alan R. Felthous, M.D.
Abstract:
Psychiatric consultants to city and county jails are confronted with the challenge of preventing jailhouse suicides, a problem of national scope. Suicide prevention programs in jails must emphasize screening and identification, psychological support, observation, disarmament, clarity and consistency, and diagnosis, treatment, and/or hospitalization. Exactly how these principles are formulated and implemented will depend on the unique circumstances of each jail. Finally information is presented as evidence that a program that embodies these principles can effectively reduce the number of suicides in a jail where the average daily census has increased from fewer than 400 to greater than 900 in the past six years.
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