NCJ Number
113127
Date Published
1986
Length
4 pages
Annotation
In 1986, The National Center on Institutions and Alternatives (NCIA) received a grant from the National Institute of Corrections to act as national coordinator of the Jail Suicide Prevention Information Task Force.
Abstract
NCIA will administer the grant in cooperation with Juvenile and Criminal Justice International, Inc., and with assistance from the National Sheriff's Association. The project will gather information from jails and police lockups on the incidence of suicide and related issues, conduct 10 regional jail suicide prevention seminars, act as a clearinghouse and technical assistance resource, and develop a model suicide detection and prevention training manual for jails and lockups. Among studies and projects in the area of inmate suicide and its prevention is a 1981 study of jail suicides conducted by NCIA. This study identified 419 jail suicides in 1979 and developed a profile of the typical jail suicide victim and incident. A 1983 study of suicides in Massachusetts resulted in recommendations for designs, policies, and procedures for reducing inmate suicides in municipal detention centers. Many of these recommendations were incorporated in a 1985 law. In 1984, New York State developed a local forensic suicide prevention crisis service model. The model consists of four major components: policy and procedure guidelines for county jail, policy lockup, and mental health agency personnel; suicide prevention intake screening guidelines; an 8-hour training program, including a videotape and trainer's manual; and a mental health resource manual.