EDITORS NOTE: This article was written by guest contributor Michael Pittaro, assistant professor, criminal justice at American Military University and was originally published on InPublicSafety.com.
During my undergraduate education and on-the-job training as a young corrections officer starting in 1989, I was exposed to a plethora of research that focused on the various causes of and responses to prisoner suicides. Yet throughout my 20-year career in corrections, very little (if any) attention was paid to the issue of correctional officer suicides. Discussion of suicide within the profession was a taboo topic because corrections employees were not supposed to appear emotionally vulnerable or fragile. After all, emotional vulnerability often equates to emotional instability, which is perceived to be a weakness within the profession.
There has been much written concerning suicide among… law enforcement officers, but very little about suicide among correctional officers. As a university professor, I teach law enforcement and corrections courses. In my law enforcement courses, we go into great depth about the risks of stress, burnout, depression, and suicide rates among police officers, but in my corrections courses the topic is rarely, if ever, discussed.
Existing Research on Suicide in Corrections
Research studies have found high suicide rates in the corrections field. For example, a 2009 New Jersey State Police Task Force Study (PDF) found that corrections officers have a suicide rate that is twice as high as the rate of police officers and the general population.
A 2013 U.S. Department of Justice’s Programs Diagnostic Center Study (PDF) found corrections officers:
- Have a much higher rate of suicide than those in other occupations.
- Experience some level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during their careers.
- On average, will not live to see their 59th birthday.
In one of the few studies specifically addressing correctional officer suicide, the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries indicated that 38 percent of the intentional fatalities were suicides by self-inflicted gunshot wounds, but the actual percentage is largely unknown because the BLS only reports suicides that occur in the workplace. (CLICK HERE to Download a Chart of that Data). Suicides that occur at home or elsewhere are classified as non-occupational and are not part of the BLS data.
Therefore, more research is needed to develop a better understanding of the prevalence and causes of suicide among corrections officers.
Enhance and Equip EAP’s
It is imperative that corrections professionals spearhead a discussion about suicide and ensure there are resources to provide assistance to officers who need it. The good news is that many agencies have an Employee Assistance Program (EAP). However, EAPs must be tweaked to provide the necessary support to address suicide.
EAPs must be administered by specialized professionals who:
- Have advanced knowledge of the corrections field.
- Are familiar with the agency and its policies and procedures.
- Understand the current issues that may have an adverse influence on corrections officers and their families.
Furthermore, the EAP programs must be easily accessible to corrections officers and equipped to address a wide range of mental health and substance-abuse issues, which are sadly endemic in the profession.
Establish Critical Incident Response Teams
In addition to robust EAPs, agencies must set up a critical incident response team, to include a trauma psychologist, and provide necessary support to officers who have been exposed to traumatic incidents. Members of the critical incident response team should be tasked with evaluating corrections officers following critical events and following up with them in the days, weeks, and months after the incident.
As clinical assessments are necessary for corrections officers and their families in such circumstances, corrections administrators should maintain a referral network of clinical providers who offer confidential critical incident stress management services.
Engage Family Members
Lastly, the organization should also offer in-service and family trainings that address stress and wellness issues. Many family members and loved ones can benefit from counseling after a traumatic event. Families often need assistance and training so they can learn how to best support their affected family members and how to identify symptoms and early warning signs of suicide.
About the Author:
Professor Michael Pittaro is a 26-year criminal justice veteran, highly experienced in working with criminal offenders in a variety of settings. Pittaro has lectured in tertiary education for the past 12 years while also serving as author, editor, and subject matter expert. He is currently pursuing a PhD in public safety / criminal justice at Capella University’s School of Public Safety Leadership. Pittaro is the author of multiple university-level texts and scholarly journals including the United States’ only criminal justice quick-study reference guide, and “Crimes of the Internet”: an anthology of cybercrime research. Pittaro is a member on the International Editorial Advisory Board for the International Journal of Criminal Justice Sciences and assists on the International Journal of Cyber Criminology. He is also peer reviewer for the United States Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Programs and program committee member for the South Asian Society of Criminology and Victimology.
Suicide Among Corrections Officers: It’s Time for an Open Discussion
Reprinted with permission of the author. Originally published January 5, 2015 on InPublicSafety.com at:
http://inpublicsafety.com/2015/01/suicide-among-corrections-officers-its-time-for-an-open-discussion/
In addition to Michael’s suggestions you might consider a Proactive Peer Support program as well as Jack Digliani’s “Make It Safe” Initiative to encourage officers to ask for help when they need psychological support. You can learn about these in previous CopsAlive.com articles.
Here are the top 6 best practice concepts in our Armor Your Agency™ Model Profile:
- Mentoring Programs
- Proactive Peer Support
- Chaplain’s Program
- Family Support Network
- Psychological Services
- Annual Resilience Training
You can learn more about our programs and recommendations at these links:
https://www.copsalive.com/armor-your-agency/
http://www.lawenforcementsurvivalinstitute.org/armoragency.html
http://www.lawenforcementsurvivalinstitute.org/training.html
CopsAlive is written to prompt discussions within our profession about the issues of law enforcement career survival. We invite you to share your opinions, ask questions and suggest topics for us in the Comment Box that is at the bottom of this article.
At The Law Enforcement Survival Institute (LESI) we train law enforcement officers to cope with stress and manage all the toxic effects and hidden dangers of a career in law enforcement.
Our “Armor Your Self™: How to Survive a Career in Law Enforcement” on-site training program is an eight hour, hands-on, “How to” seminar that helps police officers and other law enforcement professionals armor themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually to build Tactical Resilience™ and survive their careers in police work. To learn more CLICK HERE
The concept of “True Blue Valor™” is where one law enforcement officer has to muster the courage to confront a peer who is slipping both professionally and personally and endangering themselves, their peers and the public. It takes a system of organizational support and professional leadership to support and foster the concept of courage and intervention. We will train your trainers to deliver this program to your agency.
To learn more CLICK HERE
Our “Armor Your Agency™: How to Create a Healthy and Supportive Law Enforcement Agency” Program includes critical strategies that you will need to build a system of support and encouragement for a healthy and productive agency. To learn more CLICK HERE
CLICK HERE to read more about The Law Enforcement Survival Institute.
CLICK HERE if you would like to contact us to learn more about training for your organization.
I’m John Marx, Founder of The Law Enforcement Survival Institute and the Editor of CopsAlive.com. Connect with me on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
CopsAlive.com was founded to provide information and strategies to help police officers successfully survive their careers. We help law enforcement officers and their agencies prepare for the risks that threaten their existence. Thank you for reading!
One of the resource my referral organization, Kalamazoo County Resource Nexus, has on its Law Enforcement page (https://www.kcrnexus.org/law-enforcement.html) is a lifeline for public safety personnel and their families known as Safe Call Now (https://www.safecallnow.org/brochure—faq-s.html), which provides support via individuals with experience in various areas of public safety.
No records are kept, and the discussions are private (barring some exceptions, such as a risk to one’s self). The organization is supported by the Department of Corrections. Before placing this post, I called and confirmed that Safe Call Now works with individuals related to the Corrections field.
I’m a 25yr veteran of the MA department of Correction and an avid cyclist. There has been a spike in suicides among officers in MA (14 in last 5 yrs) and I feel a need to do something for my fellow officers. I’d like to attempt a fundraiser/ awareness bike ride from the Boston marathon finish line to Ground Zero within the next few years but before I do I want to be sure any money raised goes to the absolute best way of helping this cause. Would you have any recommendations of a respectable way to utilize money raised to help stop this unfortunate epidemic in corrections?
With so much, well deserved, attention to first responders corrections staff often gets overlooked by society. It would be nice to see something positive in the media for a change.