Suicides in prison: Dap launches guidelines for continuous prevention intervention

Countering the tragedy of suicides in prison, strengthening the permanent nature of prevention activities. The Department of Penitentiary Administration launches guidelines for a 'continuous intervention', through which - the circular reads - "the Department, the Regional Superintendencies and the Prisons are all involved, from a network perspective, for the prevention of suicidal conduct of the detainees ".

The circular, signed by the head of Dap Carlo Renoldi, was sent today to the Supervisors and directors of the institutes. The objective is to renew, also with the involvement of the local health authorities, the intervention tools and methods to prevent this dramatic phenomenon, which in recent months is recording a significant increase compared to the same period last year.

The provision outlines some guidelines - which follow interventions implemented in the past by the General Directorate of Detainees and Treatment - identified in a meeting dedicated to the topic of suicide prevention in the presence of the Head of Department Carlo Renoldi, of the Vice Carmelo Cantone and to which The general directors of the Dap, the regional superintendents and numerous school directors participated.

The circular defines some lines of action to be implemented in each institution, also called to verify the state of the regional and local prevention plans and their compliance with the 'National Plan for the prevention of suicidal conduct in the adult prison system'. 

The multidisciplinary staff - composed of director, commander, educator, doctor and psychologist - will carry out the joint analysis of risk situations in each institution, in order to identify operational protocols capable of bringing out the so-called 'sentinel events', those facts or specific circumstances indicative of the condition of marked hardship of the detainee who - as stated in the circular - "can be intercepted by the members of the matriculation office, by juridical-pedagogical officials, by the staff of the Penitentiary Police operating in the detention wards, by volunteer assistants, by teachers ”and be revealing the risk of a subsequent possible extreme gesture.

In the circular, the Head of the Dap invites the supervisors to guarantee particular attention to the specific training of personnel, through cycles of meetings at central and local level, intended for all the actors in the process of taking charge of the detainees.

Suicides in prison: Dap launches guidelines for continuous prevention intervention