The VigilanS-Prison programme: a pilot study of a brief contact intervention for reducing suicidal behaviours in...

Suicidal behaviour is highly prevalent in prisons. The VigilanS programme is a brief contact intervention that is now recognized as a pillar of France's national suicide prevention strategy. This study aimed to evaluate the VigilanS-prison intervention, focusing on two aspects: its feasibility and its effectiveness in reducing the rates of suicide attempts (SAs) and suicides in correctional facilities.

VigilanS-Prison was launched in June 2021 in two of the 16 correctional facilities for adults in the Hauts-de-France region: Lille-Sequedin and Lille-Annoeullin. The programme expanded to Longuenesse and Vendin-le-Vieil in June 2023 and to Maubeuge in January 2024. The activity of the programme from June 2021 to April 2024 was described. To assess its impact, suicidal behaviours recorded by the prison administration between January 1, 2018, and December 31, 2023, were analysed. Interrupted time series (ITS) analyses compared the monthly rates of SAs and suicides before and after programme implementation in Lille-Sequedin and Lille-Annoeullin. Joint time series analyses compared these trends to those of control facilities.

A total of 384 individuals (43 women) were included in VigilanS-Prison due to either a history of SAs in the year prior to detention (n = 83) or following an SA in prison (n = 301). During the study, 1,343 postcards were distributed, with 78 participants (20.3%) responding at least once. Following implementation, the SA rates in Lille-Sequedin and Lille-Annoeullin decreased significantly (-37.31 per 10,000), whereas the suicide rates showed a non-significant reduction (-2.91 per 10,000). Over time, declines in monthly SA (-0.69 per 10,000) and suicide (-0.09 per 10,000) rates were observed but remained non-significant. Comparisons with control facilities revealed no significant differences in immediate or long-term trends.

The VigilanS-Prison programme has demonstrated feasibility and an immediate significant reduction in SA rates in intervention facilities. However, its effect on suicide rates was modest and non-significant. The long-term trends suggest potential benefits, although these effects remain non-significant. The specificity of the programme's impact could not be established, given the non-significant results in comparisons with control facilities. Further evaluation with larger datasets collected at the individual level and over a longer follow-up period is needed to confirm the effectiveness of the programme.