114
322.
According to the current guidelines of the World Health Organization,
suicide prevention programs of detention facilities should include the following
components: 364
(a)
Proper training for prison staff (health and correctional) in detection and
treatment of potential suicide cases;
(b)
Medical assessment of inmates upon admission in order to screen them
for possible suicidal risks;
(c)
Establishment of clearly articulated policies and procedures for continued
supervision and treatment of inmates who are considered a suicide risk;
(d)
Adequate monitoring during the night shift and at shift changes of
inmates kept in isolation as a disciplinary measure;
(e)
Promotion of interaction by inmates among themselves, with their
relatives, and the outside world;
(f)
Maintaining a safe physical environment that reduces the possibility of
using mechanisms to commit suicide, in which, for instance, hanging
points and access to lethal materials are eliminated or minimized; and in
which efficient surveillance mechanisms are adopted (although in
practice, these should never be used as a substitute for direct
observation by staff);
(g)
Adequate mental health treatment of inmates who present a clear
suicide risk, which should include evaluation and care by qualified staff
and psychopharmacological treatment; and
(h)
Establishment of procedures and protocols in the event of a suicide
attempt; or so‐called manipulative attempts, which may consist of self‐
harming behavior; and if a suicide actually occurs.
323.
Ultimately, authorities with persons deprived of liberty in their custody
should make every effort necessary to safeguard the lives and well‐being of those persons
and prevent suicides from occurring in prisons. 365 Furthermore, the IACHR considers that
as part of a comprehensive corrections policy, States should identify detention facilities
with an unusually high suicide rate and adopt such measures as may be necessary to
correct that situation, which must include a thorough investigation of all its causes.
…continuation
Rules are the only international instrument that expressly mentions that the prison medical service at detention
facilities should pay special attention to suicide prevention (Rule 47.2).
364
World Health Organization (WHO), Preventing Suicide in Jails and Prisons, (update 2007), pp. 9‐21.
365
IACHR, Report No. 172/10, Case 12.651, Merits, César Alberto Mendoza et al., Argentina, November
2, 2010, para. 276.
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