The system of using the aforementioned form during the intake process in order to identify suicidal prisoners is not sufficient as a stand-alone system for identifying at-risk inmates. The screening form is largely made up of yes and no questions. They do not diagnose specific disorders or conditions. While they are useful in determining where to place prisoners initially, they do not have the depth that would be required to make the assessment conclusive.

Although it is startling, it has been recognized that at any time any prisoner could potentially be at risk due to environmental factors and other issues common to jails. Studies done on risk pertaining to inmate suicide have come to various conclusions suggesting that known risk factors for inmates are numerous. These facts complicate the mission of making jail a place where there are no preventable suicides.

The National Commission on Correctional Health Care’s American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (NCCHC-AFSP) says that inmate assessment is not a one-time event. Instead, it is a process and should be considered an ongoing concern throughout the incarceration of any patient known to be at risk.

Factors in an inmate’s history that should be considered include their mental health condition and psychological problems. Results from multiple sources should be examined, including results from clinical records, clinical interviews, psychological tests, and behavioral observations.

Making a comprehensive assessment of an individual’s potential risk for suicide is needed to justify interventions and steer a person away from suicidal behaviors and thoughts. 

Learn more in Part 1 and this ongoing series.

This website does not intend to make implications that persons or entities have engaged in wrongs. Helping inmates currently and previously detained in county jails in Texas is the purpose of posts on this site.

–Guest Contributor