Citation

Felthous AR. Bull. Am. Acad. Psychiatry Law 1994; 22(4): 477-488.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7718921

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.

Language: en

Keywords

Facility Design and Construction; Humans; Prisoners; Prisons; Professional-Patient Relations; Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; Social Isolation; Suicide; Suicide Prevention; United States