Most of the suicide attempts occur during the first hours after admission. Therefore it is recommended to implement a suicide prevention instrument at the time of intake. VISCI was developed in a way that it can be used by the normal staff without the help of any psychological trained personal. So it is available at any time (day-night, weekends) and helps to determine inmates with a high suicide risk immediately.
The “traffic-light-system” spreads the inmates in three different groups:
“Green light”: there is no suicide risk, no special treatment is required.
“Yellow light”: a suicide risk is shown, solitary cell accommodation is not recommended and the inmate should get day-time occupation.
“Red light”: means high suicide risk: For these people a single cell is excluded, they must be referred to a psychiatrist or psychologist as soon as possible and get day-time occupation.
These clear guidelines offer all possibilities to the staff how to deal with the inmate and to initiate the necessary steps. As the suicide risk changes during long term custody, it is recommended to repeat the questionnaire in regular intervals.
Steps to be taken after screening:
In case of a high suicide risk it is important to increase protection during custody, to help the inmate. These include:
- Fluent communication between inmates and the staff
- Social intervention between inmates at high risk as well with other inmates and with correctional staff
- A secure environment and architecture
- If necessary professional treatment through psychological staff and psychopharmacological treatment if needed
