Juvenile offender suicide: prevalence, risk factors, assessment, and crisis intervention protocols

Suicide is the leading cause of death in juvenile detention and correctional facilities. Moreover incarcerated juvenile offenders have an estimated suicide risk four times greater than adolescents in the general population. To address the problem of juvenile offender suicide, this article describes the extent of the problem and protocols for intervening with this high-risk population. Procedures for crisis intervention are recommended, and we delineate and discuss the step-by-step sequential Roberts' 7 stage crisis assessment and crisis intervention model. The article concludes with an examination of the extent to which suicide assessment and prevention protocols are currently being implemented in juvenile justice facilities. The implementation of suicide prevention programs has been shown to decrease risk of suicide in juvenile offenders; however, much work is still needed to encourage facilities to implement comprehensive assessment and prevention programs nationwide.