Inmate Suicide and Overcrowding: Challenges and Solutions in the U.S. Criminal Justice System

Inmate Suicide is an essential topic for the criminal justice system and the United States of America's citizens. Why is this so? The United States of America accounts for the largest population of people behind bars in the world (J. Mumola, 2005).

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This is because the day's society decided on a punishment approach to the criminal justice system rather than a therapeutic method. This resulted in a change of policy towards this goal. This created a massive influx of persons into the criminal justice system.

The increase in population led to adverse effects like overcrowding and suicide incidences behind bars. These negative impacts can be prevented if the societal' s view on crime and crime change (Bruce B et al., 2005). A shift in the American people's attitude will result in funding and support towards correctional facilities, which will alleviate inmates' conditions.

This will reduce inmate suicides, which are often a liability for the state and federal governments. This is because legally, they owe a duty of care to the inmates. For instance, most inmate suicide in the USA often ends up with the government paying damages to the deceased's family for their failures (Isenhardt & Hostettler, 2016).

A critical analysis of the literature review has indicated that various issues are associated with inmate suicides and overcrowding in general. Funding is the first issue, which is directly linked to this topic. When the American society decided to change its policy on the criminal justice system, it did not afford the required resources.

Therefore as more people increased, all the other facets remained unchanged. For instance, it is not a surprise to find a facility with a population of 300 inmates with only eight officers (NERBOVIG, 2016). The second issue that is in direct relation to the topic is the matter of mental and psychological issues.

A significant portion of the suicides was a result of inmates with mental issues. Mental matters are a big problem behind bars (Barker et al., 2014). This is often exacerbated by the psychological torture one gets from being physically confined.

The third issue is the lack of training and capacity by correctional officers. It has been reported that most officers in these facilities do not have relevant knowledge in dealing with persons with mental problems. This may affect their judgment of a situation, which then leads to suicide (Blau, 2019).

These three issues that have been identified can be quickly resolved if only there were political will. The issue of funding is something that the government can sort out. Federal funding into the criminal justice system, especially the facilities, will go a long way in resolving overcrowding and inmate suicides (Bonesteel, 2017).

The only thing that needs to be done is that pressure needs to be put on Congress and the representatives house to ensure that money is budgeted for these issues. The second issue can be addressed by giving inmates the right to see health experts treat their condition (M. Hayes, 1999). This should be done quickly in order to prevent adverse impacts like suicide.

The third issue can be resolved by ensuring that the officers undergo mandatory periodic training in mental issues and dealing with prisoners. Training officers will help them deal effectively with cases of suicide behind bars (M. Hayes, 1999). This will necessitate the need for uniform guidelines that will apply to all these officers. Therefore the creation of law by the legislature will be beneficial in resolving this issue.

References

Barker, E., Kõlves, K., & De Leo, D. (2014). Management of Suicidal and Self-Harming Behaviors in Prisons: Systematic Literature Review of Evidence-Based Activities. Taylor & Francis. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13811118.2013.824830?src=recsys&journalCode=usui20.

Blau, M. (2019). Jeffrey Epstein’s Death Highlights Inmate Suicide Problem. Pewtrusts.org. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2019/09/10/jeffrey-epsteins-death-highlights-inmate-suicide-problem.

Bonesteel, M. (2017). Aaron Hernandez’s hanging underscores the widespread suicide problem in Massachusetts prisons. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/04/19/aaron-hernandezs-death-adds-to-persistently-high-massachusetts-prisoner-suicide-rate/?utm_term=.268506b34d53.

Bruce B, W., Richard, M., Donald A, S., Richard, B., & John, E. (2005). APA PsycNet. Psycnet.apa.org. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://psycnet.apa.org/record/2005-08066-001.

Isenhardt, A., & Hostettler, U. (2016). Inmate Violence and Correctional Staff Burnout: The Role of Sense of Security, Gender, and Job Characteristics. SAGE Journals. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0886260516681156.

J. Mumola, C. (2005). NCJRS Abstract - National Criminal Justice Reference Service. Ncjrs.gov. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://www.ncjrs.gov/App/Publications/abstract.aspx?ID=210036.

M. Hayes, L. (1999). Suicide in Adult Correctional Facilities: Key Ingredients to Prevention and Overcoming the Obstacles - Lindsay M. Hayes, 1999. SAGE Journals. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1111/j.1748-720X.1999.tb01460.x.

NERBOVIG, A. (2016). The family says jail overcrowding contributed to inmate's suicide. Retrieved 9 December 2020, from https://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/crime-and-courts/family-says-jail-overcrowding-contributed-to-inmates-suicide/article_b632f61e-02a3-5807-943f-4b55687d2bff.html.