The key to any suicide prevention program is staff training – which is also a highly effective shield against liability. All staff who come into contact with inmates, including correctional, medical, and mental health personnel, should receive basic and recurring suicide prevention training.

Training services provided by NCIA Jail Suicide Prevention and Liability Reduction Services are tailored to the agency (e.g., jail, prison, or juvenile facility) and audience (e.g., line or management staff, trainers, etc.). Seminars typically encompass eight (8) hours of instruction on all aspects of suicide prevention in correctional facilities including, but not limited to, negative attitudes and obstacles to prevention, research, why correctional environments are conducive to suicidal behavior, potential predisposing factors to suicide, high-risk suicide periods, warning signs and symptoms, identifying suicidal inmates despite the denial of risk, guiding principles to suicide prevention, components of an effective suicide prevention policy, critical incident staff debriefing, and liability issues.

• Policy Assessment and Development Services
• Training Services
• Expert Witness Consultation