Utilizing Peer Safety Companions to Prevent Suicide in Prisons

Area of Science:

• Criminology and Criminal Justice
• Public Health
• Mental Health Services

Background:

• Suicide prevention in correctional settings is a critical public health issue.
• Some correctional facilities employ incarcerated individuals to support at-risk peers.
• Limited research exists on these peer support programs, with prior studies confined to single facilities.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of incarcerated peer suicide prevention programs nationally.
• To characterize the nature and scope of these programs across US correctional systems.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of suicide prevention policies from state Departments of Corrections (DOCs) and the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).
• National scope, examining written policies rather than single-facility data.

Main Results:

• The Federal Bureau of Prisons and 15 state DOCs have formal policies for using incarcerated individuals in suicide prevention.
• These programs exhibit variation, ranging from simple observation of at-risk individuals to more involved befriending and mentoring roles.

Conclusions:

• A significant number of US correctional systems incorporate incarcerated individuals into suicide prevention strategies.
• Programmatic approaches vary, highlighting the need for further research into program effectiveness and best practices in correctional suicide prevention.