Juvenile Suicide in Confinement a National Survey
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U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Juvenile Suicide in Confinement A National Survey Report U.S. Department of Justice Office of Justice Programs 810 Seventh Street NW. Washington, DC 20531 Eric H. Holder, Jr. Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson Acting Assistant Attorney General Jeff Slowikowski Acting Administrator Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Office of Justice Programs Innovation ● Partnerships ● Safer Neighborhoods www.ojp.usdoj.gov Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ojjdp This report was prepared by the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives, and was supported by grant number 1999–JN–FX–0005 from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official positions or policies of OJJDP or the U.S. Department of Justice. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance, the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the Community Capacity Development Office; the National Institute of Justice, the Office for Victims of Crime; and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART) Juvenile Suicide in Confinement: A National Survey OJJDP Report Lindsay M. Hayes National Center on Institutions and Alternatives February 2009 NCJ 213691 Acknowledgments Staff collaboration is a critical ingredient in an effective suicide prevention program. The task of completing the first national survey of juvenile suicide in confinement could not have been accomplished without the collaborative efforts of a project team comprising prominent juvenile justice practitioners and researchers. The team—which included G. David Curry, Ph.D., Department of Criminology, University of Missouri-St. Louis; Robert E. DeComo, Ph.D., Director of Research, National Council on Crime and Delinquency; Barbara C. Dooley, Ph.D., former Director, Madison County (TN) Juvenile Court Services; Cedrick Heraux, Ph.D. candidate, School of Criminal Justice, Michigan State University; and David W. Roush, Ph.D., Director, Center for Research and Professional Development, Michigan State University—was instrumental in the design of the data collection instruments, analysis of the data, and review of the draft report. Alice Boring of the National Center on Institutions and Alternatives brought the report together in its final form. In addition, the Council of Juvenile Correctional Administrators (CJCA) and the National Juvenile Detention Association (NJDA), provided invaluable assistance in endorsing the project and encouraging juvenile facility directors to participate in the survey, as well as in reviewing the draft. Special thanks is extended to CJCA’s Edward J. Loughran, Kim Godfrey, and Robert Dugan and NJDA’s Earl L. Dunlap and Michael A. Jones. The support of officials and staff at the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, in particular, Program Managers Karen Stern and Phelan Wyrick, is appreciated. Juvenile Suicide in Confinement: A National Survey i Table of Contents Acknowledgments........................................................................................................................................ i List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................. iv Executive Summary .................................................................................................................................. vii Introduction..................................................................................................................................................1 Prevalence..............................................................................................................................................1 Risk Factors ...........................................................................................................................................1 Mental Disorders and Substance Abuse ..........................................................................................1 Physical, Sexual, and Emotional Abuse ..........................................................................................2 Self-Injurious Behavior ....................................................................................................................3 Provision of Mental Health Services in Juvenile Facilities ...................................................................4 Surveillance Data on Adult and Juvenile Suicide..................................................................................4 Data Collection ............................................................................................................................................6 Phase 1 ...................................................................................................................................................6 Phase 2 ...................................................................................................................................................7 Findings........................................................................................................................................................9 Personal Characteristics of the Victim...................................................................................................9 Race..................................................................................................................................................9 Sex....................................................................................................................................................9 Age.................................................................................................................................................10 Living Arrangement Before Confinement.....................................................................................10 Most Serious Offense.....................................................................................................................11 Additional Charges ........................................................................................................................11 Confinement Status ........................................................................................................................11 Most Serious Prior Offenses ..........................................................................................................12 Length of Confinement (Before Suicide) ......................................................................................12 Substance Abuse ............................................................................................................................13 Medical Problems ..........................................................................................................................13 Emotional Abuse ............................................................................................................................14 Physical Abuse ...............................................................................................................................14 Sexual Abuse .................................................................................................................................14 Mental Illness .................................................................................................................................15 Prior Suicidal Behavior ..................................................................................................................15 History of Room Confinement.......................................................................................................15 Suicide Incident Characteristics ...........................................................................................................16 Date................................................................................................................................................16 Time ...............................................................................................................................................16 Method, Instrument, and Anchoring Device ..................................................................................17 Intoxication ....................................................................................................................................18 Juvenile Suicide in Confinement: A National Survey ii Room Assignment ..........................................................................................................................18 Time Span ......................................................................................................................................18 Room Confinement........................................................................................................................18 Suicide Precaution Status ...............................................................................................................19 Assessment by Qualified Mental Health Professional ...................................................................19