Today I read an article by Scott Daugherty, Staff Writer for The Capital Newspaper, Annapolis, Maryland, entitled, "RECENT JAIL SUICIDES PROMPT REVIEW".
I was surprised to hear about the two recent suicides in our local detention center and even more surprised about the statistics Mr. Daugherty reported.
"According a report by the U.S. Department of Justice, 47 of every 100,000 inmates in local jails across the country in 2002 committed suicide. That is down from 129 of every 100,000 inmates in 1983."
However, the most interesting thing I read was regarding their screening process, "...the county currently screens inmates like most other jurisdictions in Maryland. She said a medical professional on staff at the jail - usually a nurse - questions the inmates about their physical and mental health within four hours of being booked into the detention facility.
The nurse asks an inmate 29 questions from a special questionnaire during the mental health screening to determine whether he should be placed on suicide watch or another form of segregation. The questions revolve primarily around the inmate's medical history, including whether they are on psychiatric medications, have attempted suicide before or spent time in a mental hospital. The nurse also asks questions about the inmate's feelings and looks to see if he is showing any signs of depression or anxiety, Ms. Harting said."
Conducting an assessment within fours of being booked into the detention center seems like they are being pretty pro-active and efficient, and having a protocol of questions that must be asked also seems like a prudent step.
Because they didn't elaborate more about the screening process, I couldn't tell why these two individuals weren't identified, or if they were, what went wrong.
Maybe the nurse doesn't have enough time for each assessment, maybe the nurse wasn't performing optimally during these two interviews, or maybe the "special questionnaire" is lacking. In all fairness, maybe everything was done perfectly, and sometimes, no matter how much expertise and effort is expended, someone determined to commit suicide will do so.
Hopefully the Superintendent will investigate and find more effective solutions.
We are very fortunate to live in the United States and I hope we can find solutions for the problems we have with our correctional facilities because they are a reflection of our society.
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