title: From chaos to calm: one jail system's struggle with suicide prevention.
abstract: This article profiles the suicide prevention practices at a large metropolitan jail, a facility that experienced nine inmate suicides in a recent 24-month period. The suicide rate in this facility was found to far exceed the rate for jails of comparable size as well as the national rate of jail suicides. The nine suicides are summarized and common features (including the issue of protective custody) of the deaths and systemic jail deficiencies are discussed. The process by which the jail system developed a suicide prevention program based upon the principles of staff training, identification/screening, communication, levels of supervision, housing, and intervention is offered.
authors.affiliation: National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, Mansfield, Massachusetts 02048, USA.
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Hayes
mesh_terms: D003482:Custodial Care / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D019982:Organizational Case Studies; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011330:Prisons / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development / Q000379:methods*; D012308:Risk Management / Q000379:methods / Q000458:organization & administration*; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods; D014481:United States; D019037:Urban Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D000092864:Suicide Prevention