NYS Office of Mental Health
Local Correctional Suicide Prevention Crisis Service Program

Overview

The New York State Local Correctional Suicide Prevention Crisis Service Program is a multifaceted program designed to facilitate the identification and treatment of prisoners who are suicidal and/or seriously mentally ill. This program has been specifically structured to establish administrative and direct service linkages among county jails, police lockups and local mental health programs. It clearly defines the roles and responsibilities of mental health and local correctional agencies in the identification and management of high risk prisoners. The model also provides materials for training both officers and mental health service personnel.

The Crisis Service Program was designed in 1984 by the NYS Office of Mental Health, the NYS Commission of Correction, Ulster County Department of Mental Health and a statewide task force. The task force included representatives from the following agencies: NYS Association of Chiefs of Police, NYS Sheriffs' Association, NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services - Bureau for Municipal Police, NYS Division of Alcoholism and Alcohol Abuse, NYS Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities, NYS Division of Substance Abuse Services, and the Governor's Task Force on Alcoholism and Criminal Justice.

The design of the program was supported through New York State mental health resources and a National Institute of Mental Health State Manpower Development Grant. During 1985, the program was demonstrated in five New York State Counties (Erie, Oswego, Greene, Nassau and Ulster) which varied significantly in such key variables as size and available resources. In total, 17 local mental health and correctional agencies participated in the demonstration. It was due to the successful interagency cooperation of these agencies that the model received the 1985 New York State Office of Mental Health Program Recognition Award. Oswego County additionally received a special award from the National Association of Counties in recognition for the particularly fine job that officials there did to implement the model.

Following the demonstration and refinement of the program, a statewide initiative was implemented to provide all New York State counties with training and technical assistance in implementing the program. This initiative was administered by the NYS Office of Mental Health, Bureau of Forensic Services and the NYS Commission of Correction, Medical Review Bureau in cooperation with the NYS Division of Criminal Justice Services, Office of Public Safety. All of the counties in New York State implemented the program.

In 1992, the co-sponsoring agencies and a statewide task force updated and improved the training and resource manuals which had been developed in 1984. A suicide Prevention Refresher Training Program was developed to maintain officer knowledge and skills. Training components focused on the needs of mental health providers within the criminal justice system were developed to complement the training provided to the corrections and police personnel.

Early in 1999, the co-sponsoring agencies initiated the major update and revision of the seven-hour basic curriculum. This revised training program, which will include new video and written materials, will be available early in the year 2000.

Model Components

The Local Correctional Suicide Prevention Crisis Service Program contains the following six major components (descriptions of the components relate to the current curriculum and materials):

1. An Eight-Hour Training Program for jail and lockup officers in Suicide and Suicide Prevention. The training program is to be provided prior to the implementation of the procedures. The key elements of this program are: 1) trainer's manual; 2) 50 minute video, and 3) officer handbook.

2. A Mental Health Resource Manual which can be used to familiarize local mental health personnel with mental health and operational issues relevant to police lockups and county jails. The major components of the manual are: 1) an overview of the criminal justice system; 2) suggestions regarding the best ways of providing mental health services with local correctional facilities; and 3) a detailed explanation of New York State laws relative to the delivery of mental health services to jail and lockup inmates.

3. Policy and Procedural Guidelines for county jail, police lockup, and mental health agency personnel. The policies and procedures outline administrative and direct service actions which will enable staff to identify, manage and serve high risk mentally ill and suicidal inmates. Given the diversity of the local correctional and mental health systems, administrators are expected to modify the guidelines as necessary to meet individual facility needs. Operationalizing the policies and procedures requires close cooperation among Correctional, Police and Mental Health Officials.

4. Suicide Prevention Intake Screening Guidelines that can be administered during the intake process to facilitate identification of high risk inmates. The guidelines are administered by jail and lockup officers prior to cell assignment. Administration time is approximately five minutes.

5. A Four-Hour Refresher Training Program for Jails and Lock-up Officers. This training is designed as an inservice refresher course focusing on the essential aspects of identifying and managing suicide risk in jails and lockups as well as responding to the impact of a facility suicide on jail/lockup staff. It is based upon the basic eight-hour program and includes: 1 ) Trainer's Manual; and 2) set of six videotapes.

6. Criminal Justice System Training for Mental Health Services Providers. This is a 14-hour training program designed to provide mental health staff and other service providers with basic knowledge of the criminal justice system, suicide prevention, New York State Mental Hygiene Law and alternatives to incarceration. The training addresses many of the same areas presented in the suicide prevention training for corrections and police officers and contains considerable New York State-specific information. The Manual of Criminal Justice Interventions for Mental Health Providers focuses on alternatives to incarceration for persons with mental illness and is a supplement to the 14-hour training program.

Utilization of Program Components

This program was designed for implementation based on adoption of all six interrelated program components. No individual component is intended to be freestanding.

For additional information regarding the program and obtaining materials, contact:

Pamela Morschauser, CSW
Local Projects Coordinator
for the NYS OMH Bureau of Forensic Services
at Ulster County Department of Mental Health
239 Golden Hill Lane
Kingston, NY 12401
914-340-4168

For the NYS OMH Bureau of Forensic Services
Richard Miraglia, CSW
Director

OR

James Taisey
New York State Commission of Correction
Bureau of Health Systems Evaluation
4 Tower Place
Albany, NY 12203
518-485-2482

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Last updated on 04/13/99