NIMH, National Institute of Justice to collaborate on suicide prevention among transitioning prisoners
The NIMH, the NIH Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research and the National Institute of Justice recently announced a collaboration on a 4-year, $6.8 million study on suicide prevention among high-risk individuals transitioning from jail to community.
The Suicide Prevention for at-Risk Individuals in Transition study, or “SPIRIT,” will be led by Jennifer E. Johnson, PhD, the C.S. Mott Endowed Professor of Public Health at Michigan State University and Lauren M. Weinstock, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry at Brown University.
To test a practical approach to reducing suicide, researchers plan to enroll 800 detainees as they leave two community jails: Genesee County Jail in Flint, Michigan, and Rhode Island Department of Corrections in Cranston, Rhode Island. Study participants will be randomly assigned to standard care or the Safety Planning Intervention with telephone follow-up.
Improvement in suicidal behavior, psychiatric and substance abuse outcomes, service use and re-arrest rates will be assessed for both methods of care.
Researchers expect findings from the SPIRIT study will help correctional setting and behavioral health program directors identify more effective programs for suicide prevention. – by Amanda Oldt
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