Annual report 2011: Spain’s National Preventive Mechanism
Horizontal bars on the
window of one of the cells
at Fontcalent psychiatric
Photo 53
prison hospital, Alicante
Following a suicide, the
psychiatrist should use
indirect methods of
investigation to determine
the circumstances, framed
within a bereavement
therapy programme
Specific drug and addiction
programmes are organised.
However other
programmes, such as those
related to the treatment of
prisoners sentenced for
sexual assault, are not
applied
154
The suicides match a pattern known as “opportunity suicide”, in which the most
important factor is not the severity of the clinical condition but the easy availability of the means. In other words, people without a real death wish make suicide attempts that might otherwise not be fatal, but become so because of the
availability of necessarily lethal means. We also found that after a suicide had
been committed, an internal committee of enquiry was set up to question any
possible witnesses, including cellmates and nearby inmates. This practise concerned the psychiatrists on the inspection team, who felt it might provoke
serious feelings of guilt by leading the inmates in question to fantasise as to what
they could or should have done to prevent the suicide. In many cases these sessions do not provide really substantial information. Therefore, apart from cases
in which other patients are eye witnesses or have key information that helps
shed light on the facts, investigations should be carried out using indirect methods that do not require direct interrogation of patients regarding matters related
to the suicide or their role in the incident. In all cases, such enquiries should be
made by the psychiatrist treating them, as part of a programme of bereavement
therapy.
135. With regard to other specific programmes implemented by prison authorities, Alcala de Guadaíra prison (Seville) applies the Andalusian Drug and Addiction Plan, which involves creating a basic drug addiction treatment file and a
programme for the prevention of infectious and contagious diseases. Seville Incarcerated Mothers’ Unit also promotes healthcare education and public children’s health programmes, specifically the Infant Nutrition Programme and the
programme for vaccination and prevention of infectious diseases. Barcelona
men’s prison has two detoxification programmes, the Intensive Detoxification
Programme (PID) and the Intermediary Detoxification Programme (MID), depending on each inmate’s specific circumstances. Management at the prison report that there are also a number of programmes run by the Catalan prison authorities. These include SAC (dealing with crimes against sexual liberty), DEVI
THE OMBUDSMAN OF SPAIN
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