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Suicide in Corrections

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The National Institute of Corrections is currently assessing its website and materials in accordance with recent Executive Orders and related guidance. During this review, some of NIC’s webpages and publications may be temporarily unavailable. Please revisit this web page for updates.

Suicide is a threat to all persons involved in corrections. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, from 2001 to 2019, the number of suicides increased 85% in state prisons, 61% in federal prisons, and 13% in local jails. A report by First HELP, a nonpartisan organization that tracks first responder suicides, shows that the average annual occurrence of suicide among law enforcement officers between 2016 and 2022 was 184. The provided resources will offer an overview of the issues related to correctional suicides and the strategies that can be implemented to reverse the alarming increase in suicide rates.

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