Inmate
Self-Harm Behaviors for Correctional Officers
By
Carl R. ToersBijns
For all
practical purposes the biggest difference between prisoners and correctional
officers is the fact that prisoners are incarcerated subordinates to the
correctional officer’s directions and orders while under the supervision of the
Corrections Department.
In layman
terms, the officer has to constantly struggle and be cognitive of the prisoner’s
behaviors including the fact they may possess a learning disability or mental
illness that may impede their ability to communicate effectively. This makes
perceptions biased as the officer attempts to help the prisoner with his
problems but are often challenged to correctly understand their message as it
is either emotionally or mentally impaired.
There
appears to be a discussion ongoing whether the officer has the willingness to
help and doing the right thing when he or she does offer the prisoner
assistance with their problem especially to those related to self harm or suicides.
The officer has to determine rather quickly if the gesture is genuine or
whether the problem is manipulated and a petty opportunity to get some
attention from the officer.
This is a
very important key to communicating and helping with the problem of self-harm
and suicides as each method has motivating factors that determine serious or
non-serious actions to be taken and relayed to mental health and supervisors.
Most
officers do not possess the ability to determine serious from non-serious thus
the risks are high that a sign or awareness level may have been missed and
create a situation for the prisoner to actually harm himself severely or commit
suicide within short periods of time. Ignoring a response based on a wrong
evaluation or assessment can lead to creating a tenser situation from the start.
A lack of
response by the officer that ignores or minimizes the prisoner’s behavior is
likely to be demonstrated in an animated and aggressive like manner and brings
to the confrontation anger, disgust, and frustration by the prisoner as well as
a feeling of ridicule by the officer that believes the prisoner tried to play
headgames and results in a provocation of anger by the officer towards the
prisoner escalating the situation severely.
Therefore,
it is important that the officer takes the time and reads and assesses the
prisoner’s behavior appropriately and accurately to avoid a critical incident
from developing and prevent or intervene in a severe psychological episode by
the prisoner and taking the appropriate steps to secure his safety and wellness
immediately for the sake of preserving human life.
The officer
must be properly trained how to read the motivating conditions, environmental
factors or circumstances that triggered the prisoner’s request for interaction
or attention so that the proper care can be provided by mental health providers
available to treat and stabilize such individuals. In theory, the better the
relationship is between officer and prisoner, the better the communication is
and the better they understand each other at the time.
This is
where the ability to empathize and observe and listen for clues of behaviors is
important. Empathy is not sympathy. It is merely the ability to understand
another person’s feelings or needs through comprehension of behaviors, feelings
and words spoken. Sometimes it takes someone to put themselves in the other
person’s place and try to see and hear what they are seeing or hearing to
understand the message spoken.
Certainly
the officer must understand the reason for anger if the prisoner’s actions or
behaviors are ignored or minimized as it draws anger and the feeling that they
are alone.
It is
important that officers don’t stereotype prisoners and believe that they are
all the same and that they might react the same way under most circumstances.
Officers
must take into account if the prisoner was:
- Unable to cope effectively
- Depressed
- Under the influence of
drugs
- Stressed because of
changes in environment
- Family turmoil or problems
- Frustrated by recent
disciplinary or negative prison factors
- Being bullied by others
- Recent loss of loved one
- Impulsive in nature
Once the
officer has taken these factors into consideration then another evaluation must
be made related to the threat made or actions pending such as cutting or
hanging himself and decide if this act is:
- A cry for help
- Hoping to gain attention
- Overwhelmed by emotions
- Taking control of the
situation
- Avoiding others perceived
to be a threat or risk to him
- An act to get a high
- Actual act intended to
commit suicide
Every agency
should take into consideration the need for specialized training in self harm
signs and suicide awareness. They should be considerate of those factors that
are created by the environment could and can cause additional personal distress
and vulnerability that creates harmful behaviors to appear as well as suicide
ideations.
Agency staff
should realize that reducing the prisoner’s distress level can help reduce self
harm and suicides effectively and need to upgrade their training for staff so
they can work with these special management prisoners effectively and safely.
December 13,
2012
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