Shortly after Reentry Central posted its news story on suicides in American jails, our editors and researcher discovered a related story on inmate suicide that RC
In our previous story on suicide rates among prisoners in American jails, we reported that the number of deaths in jails exceeded the deaths in prisons. A July 16, 2010 Boston Globe article corrects that information, at least in Massachusetts, where a recent spate of suicides this year is four times the national average. The Massachusetts suicide rate is 71 per 100,000, compared to the national average of 16 per 100,000.
In the past, Massachusetts has tried to reduce suicide among its inmate population. In 2007, Lindsay M. Hays created a guide to reducing deaths, which included risk assessment, and suicides dropped that year. With suicides on the rise, Hayes, the project director for the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, has been rehired.
In 2007 Massachusetts promised that it would follow Hayes’ 29 recommendations, but critics claim this is not so. Citing the fact that those considered a suicide risk are placed in isolation under harsh conditions, and denied visits, and any other family contact, criminal justice reform advocates claim that these measures are counterproductive and are in direct opposition to Hayes’ proposals.
The Massachusetts prison system has made some positive moves, however. Opening up treatment and behavior modifications units for prisoners with mental health issues and providing “suicide-resistant’ cells are two of the ways the state are just two of the ways Massachusetts are dealing with the problem. New prison staff members are mandated to receive eight hours of suicide prevention training. Consulting closely with mental health officials concerning what privileges should be allowed to prisoners on suicide watch to reduce their feeling of isolation has also been initiated.
Still, the suicide rate has risen and Rick Glassman, the litigation director of the Disability Law center of Massachusetts, calls completed suicides “the tip of the iceberg.” For every suicide there are more attempted suicides and other self-destructive behaviors, according to the Glassman.
The Disability Law Center, which is a non-profit dedicated to protecting the rights of the disabled, including those with mental illness, brought a federal law suit against Massachusetts claiming that mentally ill inmates were held in solitary confinement for all but one hour a day which led to an increase in attempted suicides.
Hayes and others concerned about the latest spike in inmate suicides are calling for the Massachusetts State Legislature to pass a bill which would set up a permanent panel to look into problems in the prison system and make recommendations to correct those problems.
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