ABSTRACT
Suicide is one of the most important causes of death in prison around the world. In France, suicide rate for prisoners is 18.5 suicides per 10,000 inmates: seven times more common than in the general population. Among the risk factors identified in the literature, those most strongly associated with suicide in prison are physical isolation in custody, psychiatric history and history of suicide attempts. The prevention of suicide in prison involves several measures including treatment of psychiatric disorders, improvement of living conditions in custody, social support of prisoners and use of specific tools and programs by prison supervisors. No program for prevention of suicidal recurrence has ever been implemented. We propose to adapt « VigilanS ¼, a program already applied in the general population, to the prison population.
Subject(s)
Prisoners , Suicide Prevention , Suicide , Cell Phone , Crime , Ethnicity , Female , France/epidemiology , Hotlines , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/epidemiology , Mental Disorders/therapy , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Prisoners/psychology , Risk Factors , Social Isolation , Socioeconomic Factors , Suicide/statistics & numerical data , Suicide, AttemptedABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The prison population is drug users. Recent debates around the provision of devices to reduce the risks associated with drug use (syringe exchange programs and snort kit) lead us to question local practices of the prison population. METHOD: An anonymous questionnaire was offered to the prison population of the Liancourt penitentiary. The questions addressed the use of drugs before and during incarceration, knowledge of HIV and B and C hepatitis status, taking an opiate substitution treatment and advice on the implementation of syringe exchange programs and snort kit. RESULTS: A percentage of 54.4 of the prisoners responded to the questionnaire. An amount of 60.1 % of respondents consumed at least one drug before incarceration and 43.6 % of respondents consumed at least one drug during their incarceration. Cannabis was the most consumed drug before and during incarceration. Barely half of respondents reported knowing their HIV and hepatitis B and C status. Over 10 % of respondents said they were interesting in establishing needle exchange programs or snort kit. DISCUSSION: The prison concentrate drug users and is not a repressive tool of efficient risk reduction. The strategies implemented by the medical unit of Liancourt prison require adaptations that warrant development of health resources. Then, only new tools to reduce risks associated with drug use can be established.
