European Penitentiary Training Academies Network
People who are serving time in prison or remand have higher rates of suicide than the general population. It is therefore important that effective suicide prevention strategies are implemented in correctional facilities. It is possible to reduce suicides in correctional settings by adhering to certain basic principles and procedures.
The essential component to any suicide prevention programme is properly trained correctional staff, who form the backbone of any prison (e.g. remand) or juvenile facility. Correctional officers are often the only staff available 24 hours a day; thus, they form the front line of defence in preventing suicides.
Even though not all inmate suicides are preventable, many are, and a systematic reduction of these deaths can occur if comprehensive suicide prevention programmes are implemented in correctional facilities throughout the world. Such efforts are likely to prevent unnecessary deaths among vulnerable inmate populations.
Supported by the Justice Programme of the European Union
