How to Prevent Suicide in Prison

Suicide is one of the highest cause of death in prison, with rates that are significantly higher than in the general society. It is a worldwide problem, and it appears to be recently steadily rising. In fact, studies carried out in 2018 show that state prisons have the highest number of suicide cases, and they have increased by a whopping 85% since the last study in 2001.

Basically, prisons are a mental health crisis, and too many prisoners contemplate, attempt, or complete suicide.

In this article, we will highlight the patterns of suicide in prison, as well as the methods and opportunities. We will also discuss preventative measures that can help curb suicide rates among incarcerated individuals. Read on to learn more.

Suicide Trends in Prison

Suicide among incarcerated individuals is multifactorial, with so many contributing factors such as:

Mental health
Medical issues,
Family issues
Lack of a purpose
Failure to adjust to incarceration
Specific prison environment conditions

Despite popular belief, imprisonment is not only hard for people suffering from mental health issues, getting incarcerated creates and exacerbates despair, disconnection, and overall psychological distress.

In 2013, Lindsay M, Hayes, a suicide prevention consultant working with the US Justice Department carried out 5 national studies of prison, jail, and juvenile suicide. According to the report, the following are the suicide patterns she uncovered among incarcerated individuals.

Suicide rates among inmates are consistent within the first few days or first few months of incarceration.
The majority of suicide cases happen during waking hours.
Suicide cases did not happen while the inmates were under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Mostly, suicide cases were witnessed among individuals with a pending court hearing
Suicide rates in jails and prisons in the US have significantly decreased within the last 20 years because of suicide prevention efforts.
Most suicides tend to happen immediately after incarceration. According to a study conducted by Hayes in 2012, 25% of recently arrested individuals committed suicide within the first 24 hours and more than 50% passed away between the first 2 days and 4 months of incarceration.

Why are Suicide Cases Very High in Prisons than in the General Population?

When an incarcerated individual is in crisis, correctional officers should act swiftly to prevent self-harm and suicide. Unfortunately, correctional officers fail to recognize warning signs of poor mental health, with some even going to the extent of encouraging and allowing self-harm, a very disturbing reality.

Below are factors attributed to the rising suicide cases in prison:

· Lack of Protective Changes/Measures

Suicidal cases are high in prisons because on an institutional level, the system tends to avoid making changes to help protect people living in dangerous conditions.

Instead of doing away with the rather harsh solitary confinement punishment and improving how officers respond to crises, the Department of Correction has only been increasing surveillance in prisons and allowing private companies to profit from prison systems.

· Long Sentences

Perhaps another noteworthy reason why suicides are higher in prisons is due to serving long stretches. Not only does longer imprisonment increase the likelihood of experiencing a mental health crisis, but it also creates the conditions for suicidal behavior.

When incarcerated individuals are separated from their loved ones and the world outside rapidly keeps changing, prisoners serving a long time get isolated and deprived of a sense of purpose. This can easily drive them to self-harm or attempted suicide.

· Prison Environment

The prison environment also increases the likelihood of suicide among prisoners.

Prisoners usually experience psychological distress caused by conflicts with fellow inmates, bullying, getting bad news from a family member, or even legal matters which can exacerbate the stress of being incarcerated.

This creates a feeling of hopelessness, and when future prospects suddenly narrow down, desperation increases and suicidal thoughts creep into a prisoner’s mind.

· Non-Environmental Factors

Non-environmental factors also contribute to the high rates of suicide among prisoners. These include poor family and social support, withdrawal from alcohol and drug use, emotional problems, a history of mental illness as well as a history of previous suicide attempts.

Methods and Opportunities for Suicide in Prison

Most suicide cases in prison happen by hanging, and this usually happens when prisoners are held in segregation cells and solitary confinement for a long period.

According to a report by the World Health Organization released in 2007, housing assignments also contribute to the high number of suicide attempts among prisoners. According to WHO, a disproportionate number of cases happen when prisoners are housed in solitary situations.

They also happen when prisoners are not regularly and keenly observed by correctional officers. Many reports from prison research seem to indicate that successful suicide happens within a few inches off a floor or a supporting surface.

Strangulation via these methods tends to take a few minutes and is done using ligatures made from clothing, sheets, or even shoelaces hanging from any secure protrusion. The other common method of suicide is stabbing and self-mutilation which cause significant blood loss that can lead to death.

Suicide Prevention Strategies

Even though suicide rates in prison have gone down in recent years due to the implementation of suicide prevention strategies and screening programs, there is still a lot to be done. Most suicide cases tend to happen in prisons that do not have effective suicide prevention programs. For these programs to be successful, they should encompass essential features, which include:

Perform Inmate evaluations at intake as well as carry out regular screening for suicide risk.
Annually training and retraining all medical, correctional, and mental health staff members on suicide prevention strategies.
Creating procedures for effective communication on the prisoner’s state of mind and risk of suicide between facility staff, outside entities, and correctional officers with the suicidal inmate.
Have a capable emergency response team for suicide attempts who promptly report any incidents up the chain of command as well as notify family members.
The physical prevention strategies should include anti-suicide clothing and housing as well as careful supervision and restrictions during visiting hours, telephone calls, and showers.

What can Prisons Do to Keep Prisoners Alive?

1. Train Prisoners to be Peer Advisors

One of the most practical things that prison administrators can do to ease the problem is to delegate some of the responsibilities to some of the prisoners. Turn the “Listeners” into “watchers” so to speak.

Prisons can train a group of inmates to listen to the anxieties of other prisoners who might be contemplating suicide. These inmates, who work with wing officers can significantly prevent self-inflicted deaths which might have otherwise occurred.

Moreover, prisoners are more likely to open up about their feelings to a fellow inmate than they would be to talk to a staff member. They would feel that a fellow inmate would be better placed to understand their current mental turmoil.

2. Utilize Anti Suicide Smocks

Anti-suicide smocks are an ideal suicide deterrent because they make it hard for prisoners to hurt themselves. Most prisoners who die via suicide use available materials such as clothing or bedding to hang themselves while alone in their cells.

However, anti-suicide smocks are noose-proof. They are made from quilted nylon Cordura, which is an exceptionally sturdy material. In fact, it is believed to be 10 times tougher than Levi’s Jeans. They are so resilient that they can’t tear, and so thick they can’t be rolled or folded into cords. Furthermore, the shoulder seams open under pressure, therefore the arm holes cannot be used as a noose either.

Desperate people tend to get creative, and this applies to prisoners too. They can use metal fasteners or even torch their clothes to self-mutilate. Luckily, the anti-suicide smock material is so heavy that fire burns out quickly.

This clothing also comes with adjustable openings on the shoulders and chest area lined with Velcro instead of hard hooks, zippers, and loops. If a prisoner manages to harm themselves, medical personnel can easily remove the smock since they are sleeveless and open down at the front.

3. Talking and Listening

In a prison setting, talking and listening entails keeping in mind that an inmate’s suicide risk could stem from an emotional crisis and taking steps to ensure that the situation doesn’t escalate to a point where suicide seems like the only way out.

This is why having a candid talk and listening to an inmate is very important.

The goal of having a conversation with an inmate is to alleviate the sense of emotional turmoil and isolation that they may be harboring. This is especially important when an inmate is also physically isolated.

Physical isolation is considered necessary to best monitor and observe an inmate contemplating suicide. Yet, physically isolating an inmate can also increase their sense of emotional seclusion, which makes them feel more alone with their negative and difficult feelings. This can easily cause the negative feelings to escalate.

When suicide-risk inmates get the opportunity to talk out their feelings, it reduces the likelihood of them acting on their negative feelings. This is why mental health professionals spend countless hours getting their clients to talk about their feelings as they actively listen to them.

Granted, correctional officers and staff members are not therapists, and they are definitely not expected to offer therapy to suffering inmates. However, they are people workers and it is only appropriate for them to utilize basic communication skills with inmates for the key reason of making them feel less emotionally isolated.

4. Asking Simple Questions

This is not a time-consuming or complicated process. Correctional officers can simply start by walking up to an inmate’s cell and asking how they are doing and whether they need anything. They can do this when making security checks. Asking an inmate questions can accomplish two goals:

It shows the inmate that somebody cares about them
It provides the inmate an opportunity to talk about their feelings.

The inmate may not want to talk to the officer, (and shouldn’t be forced to if they don’t want), but it is always good to provide an opening in the hope that the prisoner will take the chance and talk. Sometimes an inmate may not want to talk initially, but often they do so later on.

It is also important to pay attention and use active listening skills to understand what the inmate is talking about. Correctional officers should try to keep the prisoners talking; however, you should avoid using demeaning, sarcastic, or condescending language. If they do, the prisoner is likely to clam up.

They should also keep in mind that their goal is not to provide therapy to the inmates. They are also not there to solve their problems. Furthermore, they shouldn’t spend a lot of time talking with the inmates. They are simply concerned human beings providing comfort to fellow human beings going through emotional turmoil which may be difficult to vent.

Furthermore, asking questions and talking to an inmate can give a correctional professional the chance to gather information about the inmate’s emotional state and thought process. This information can help mental health professionals to gauge an inmate’s suicide risk.

Correctional officers shouldn’t be afraid to talk about the issue of suicide with an inmate. For instance, they can ask a prisoner in a neutral and straightforward tone, “Do you feel like you want to hurt or kill yourself?”. Usually, it is best to be direct about suicidal thoughts and feelings instead of keeping them locked inside.

Sure, it may be pertinent to physically isolate a prisoner to prevent suicide. However, it is equally necessary for officers and staff members to try and minimize the inmate’s sense of emotional isolation by asking questions whenever they can.

They should use their interpersonal communication skills as they talk with inmates, and it could just save their lives. It is a major part of being a responsible correctional professional.

Conclusion

While some people may not care about suicide cases in prison, it is a serious public health issue that can have lasting effects on families, individuals, and the community at large. Luckily, suicide is preventable.

Preventing suicide among prisoners requires the implementation of strategies at all societal levels, not just in the Department of Corrections.

Correctional professionals and inmates’ friends and family members can help prevent suicide by learning and detecting the warning signs, talking to the inmates, asking questions, and actively listening.

The prison administrators can train prisoners to be peer advisors, introduce anti-suicide smocks and adopt and promote effective suicide prevention strategies.

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