Justice System
The justice system includes multiple settings, such as law enforcement, detention, court system, jail, prison, probation, and parole. People who work in the justice system can play an important role in suicide prevention by recognizing and responding effectively to suicide risk among the people they serve. Strategies to consider include providing suicide prevention training to personnel, and establishing protocols for physical safety in all facilities and for responding to suicidal crises.
Learn More
- See the Recommended Resources below selected by SPRC personnel.
- To learn more about safe and effective care for suicide risk, visit the Zero Suicide website.
- See All Resources Related to Justice System (below) for a full list of materials, programs, trainings, and other information available from SPRC. Use the filters on the left to narrow your results.
- For more on other settings and groups, see our Settings and Populations pages.
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Recommended Resources
The role of adult correctional officers in preventing suicide
This brief sheet provides basic information to help correctional officers in facilities for adults to recognize and respond to people who may be suicidal or at high risk. (An unformatted version of the sheet that includes references is available.) An accompanying list of resources is also available.
Suicide prevention resources for adult corrections
This sheet lists written materials, trainings, organizations, and websites that contain information on suicide prevention in adult correctional facilities. It can be used with the Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s information sheet The Role of Adult Correctional Officers in Preventing Suicide or on its own by correctional officers, administrators, and health/mental health care providers in adult […]
Juvenile justice suicide prevention resources
The Youth in Contact with the Juvenile Justice System Task Force, established in June 2011, completed its work in 2013 by focusing attention on the needs of youth in the juvenile justice system, particularly in the areas of suicide-related awareness and education, suicide research, suicide prevention programming and training, and collaboration between the juvenile justice […]
Preventing Suicide in Prisons
A review of the research found that prison suicides can be prevented with comprehensive programs that focus on the specific risk factors for suicide in prisons (such as receiving a new charge or conviction or isolation). The authors also found that prison suicides potentially can be prevented with programs that train inmates to detect and […]
Shield of Care: A System-Focused Approach to Protecting Juvenile Justice Youth from Suicide
Developed by the Tennessee Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (TDMHSAS) and partners, Shield of Care is an 8-hour, research-informed curriculum that teaches juvenile justice staff strategies to prevent suicide in their correctional facility environment. The Shield of Care suicide prevention model (S-Plan) is unique because it is tailored to the juvenile justice environment and emphasizes a […]