PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Felthous, Alan R.
TI  - Preventing Jailhouse Suicides
DP  - 1994 Dec 01
TA  - Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online
PG  - 477--488
VI  - 22
IP  - 4
4099  - http://jaapl.org/content/22/4/477.short
4100  - http://jaapl.org/content/22/4/477.full
SO  - J Am Acad Psychiatry Law1994 Dec 01; 22
AB  - Psychiatric consultants to city and county jails are confronted with the challenge of preventing jailhouse suicides, a problem of national scope. Suicide prevention programs in jails must emphasize screening and identification, psychological support, observation, disarmament, clarity and consistency, and diagnosis, treatment, and/or hospitalization. Exactly how these principles are formulated and implemented will depend on the unique circumstances of each jail. Finally information is presented as evidence that a program that embodies these principles can effectively reduce the number of suicides in a jail where the average daily census has increased from fewer than 400 to greater than 900 in the past six years.