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Suicide? Accident? Predictable? avoidable? The psychological autopsy in jail suicides

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Summary

The psychological autopsy is a timely adjunct to the suicide detection and prevention efforts emerging in many jails. These efforts can only be enhanced by a thorough review of what went right or wrong for a particular inmate. Conducted in a nonthreatening spirit of peer review, the psychological autopsy can provide staff with closure and new knowledge which will allow them to proceed more effectively and confidently in safeguarding other inmates.

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Authors
  1. Anthony Spellman M.D.
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  2. Barbara Heyne M.S.
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Spellman, A., Heyne, B. Suicide? Accident? Predictable? avoidable? The psychological autopsy in jail suicides. Psych Quart 60, 173–183 (1989). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01064943

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