Section 350.17. Suicide prevention.

  The jail shall have policies and procedures relating to the supervision and housing of inmates who may be at risk of seriously injuring themselves, including the following components:

(1)  Obtaining documented information from the arresting or transporting agency to assess an inmate's potential for suicide or self-harm.

(2)  Intake screening of inmates that includes interview items and staff observation related to potential suicide risk.

(3)  Procedure for placement of an inmate on suicide watch. Policies and procedures relating to the procedure for placing an inmate on suicide watch shall include all of the following components:

(a) Immediate notification to designated supervisory staff if an inmate is identified as a suicide risk.

(b) Designation of housing areas and security precautions for inmates who are placed on suicide watch.

(c) Description of monitoring procedures for inmates on suicide watch, including frequency and documentation of wellness checks.

(4)  Identification of trained persons who may assess an inmate's level of suicide risk.

(5)  Notification to qualified mental health professionals within 12 hours of placement of a potentially suicidal inmate on suicide watch. Assessment by a qualified mental health professional shall be completed as soon as practicable.

(6)  Identification of qualified mental health professionals who are authorized to remove an inmate from a suicide watch status after an on-site face-to-face assessment.

(7)  Frequency of communication between health care and jail personnel regarding the status of an inmate who is on suicide watch.

(8)  Intervention protocol during an apparent suicide attempt, including life-sustaining measures.

(9)  Identification of persons to be notified in case of attempted or completed suicides.

(10)  Documentation of actions and decisions regarding inmates who are suicide risks, including all of the following:

(a) Individual initiating the suicide watch.

(b) Date and time watch was initiated.

(c) Reason watch was initiated.

(d) Name of supervisor contacted.

(e) Date and time supervisor contacted.

(f) Name, date, and time of referral to mental health professional.

(g) Written documentation from the mental health professional removing an inmate from a suicide watch including name, date, and time.

(11)  Implementation of 2 hours of annual documented staff training regarding suicide prevention and identification of risk factors.

(12)  Access by staff to debriefing and support services.

(13)  Implementation of an operational review following a suicide or significant suicide attempt.

History: CR 13-038 : cr. Register August 2014 No. 704 , eff. 9-1-14.