Suicide In Prison Research Paper
STATEMENT OF ISSUES
ISSUE 1: Are the levels of suicide in our jails and prisons low enough?
ISSUE 2: What can we do to help lower the statistics and intervene to keep preventable suicide from happening in our criminal justice system?
Reducing Suicide in Correctional Facilities 6
Abstract
Suicide is a leading cause of death in correctional facilities around the United States. It is a major issue that intuitions have to face on a daily basis. Identifying potential risk factors and warning signs could help prevent suicide. Suicide is often prevalent in inmates due to the shock of confinement. Reasons for committing suicide include loss of freedom, isolation, and mental illness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the warning signs of suicide in inmates and pose some recommendations that will assist the criminal justice system with attempting to bring the numbers even lower. Despite improvement in recent …show more content…
An autopsy report concluded that the 28-year-old hanged herself using a plastic trash bag. Intake forms contained inconsistencies but one indicated that Bland told jailers she had previously attempted to end her own life. In July 2015, the Waller County jail was cited by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for failing to follow mental health training protocols, and for not checking on inmates frequently enough (Dart, 2016).
The FBI has reviewed the local investigation, and local prosecutors have pledged to bring the case to a grand jury. About one thousand people die in American jails every year and about a third of those are by suicide (Kaste, 2015). The grim reality is that jails have high suicide rates — higher than prisons. Part of the reason, says corrections expert
Reducing Suicide in Correctional Facilities
ISSUE 1: Are the levels of suicide in our jails and prisons low enough?
ISSUE 2: What can we do to help lower the statistics and intervene to keep preventable suicide from happening in our criminal justice system?
Reducing Suicide in Correctional Facilities 6
Abstract
Suicide is a leading cause of death in correctional facilities around the United States. It is a major issue that intuitions have to face on a daily basis. Identifying potential risk factors and warning signs could help prevent suicide. Suicide is often prevalent in inmates due to the shock of confinement. Reasons for committing suicide include loss of freedom, isolation, and mental illness. The purpose of this paper is to examine the warning signs of suicide in inmates and pose some recommendations that will assist the criminal justice system with attempting to bring the numbers even lower. Despite improvement in recent …show more content…
An autopsy report concluded that the 28-year-old hanged herself using a plastic trash bag. Intake forms contained inconsistencies but one indicated that Bland told jailers she had previously attempted to end her own life. In July 2015, the Waller County jail was cited by the Texas Commission on Jail Standards for failing to follow mental health training protocols, and for not checking on inmates frequently enough (Dart, 2016).
The FBI has reviewed the local investigation, and local prosecutors have pledged to bring the case to a grand jury. About one thousand people die in American jails every year and about a third of those are by suicide (Kaste, 2015). The grim reality is that jails have high suicide rates — higher than prisons. Part of the reason, says corrections expert
Reducing Suicide in Correctional Facilities