Deputy Attorney General Announces Over 50 Actions to Reduce the Risk of Suicide for Adults in the Department’s Custody

Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco today announced over 50 new actions the Justice Department will take to reduce the risk of death by suicide of adults who are detained or incarcerated in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service (USMS) or Federal Bureau of Prisons (FBOP). These actions follow from recommendations developed by a working group of experts, from across the Department, tasked by the Deputy Attorney General with creating a multifaceted approach to reducing the risk of suicide and self-directed violence among those in the Department’s care and custody.

The Justice Department’s mission to uphold the rule of law, keep our country safe, and protect civil rights includes safely and humanely caring for those in its custody. While the Department has long worked to reduce the risk of suicide in the populations it serves, too many individuals die by suicide in federal custody while they await trial or serve a sentence. Even though the suicide mortality rate in federal custody is generally lower than that in local jails and state prisons, the Department must strive to avert every preventable death of an individual in its custody.

As detailed in the “Report on Actions to Reduce the Risk of Suicide by Adults in Federal Custody and Advance a Culture of Safety” issued today, the Deputy Attorney General directed components to take corresponding action to implement the following five objectives to improve suicide prevention policy and protocols for individuals in the Department’s custody:

• Focusing prevention efforts through enhanced information sharing;
• Improving access and delivery of suicide prevention-related care;
• Promoting a healthy culture in facilities for employees and adults in custody;
• Reducing opportunity for and lethality of incidents of self-directed violence; and
• Using data and research to refine suicide prevention policies.

“The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the health and safety of every individual in our custody,” said Deputy Attorney General Monaco. “Today’s reforms — recommended by experts from across the Department’s litigation, law enforcement, and policy operations — will reduce the risk of suicide among adults in federal facilities. Simply put, these measures can help us save lives. I’m grateful not only to our Department experts, but also to the research, law enforcement, judicial, and suicide prevention organizations and advocates that contributed to this effort.”

The report was developed following a comprehensive review by experts from USMS, FBOP, the Civil Rights Division, Executive Office for U.S. Attorneys, National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Justice Management Division, Office of Legal Policy, and Office of the Deputy Attorney General. The review also included consultation with the Office of Inspector General, which recently completed an evaluation of inmate deaths at FBOP institutions and has identified institutional safety and security as a critical Department challenge.

In addition to reviewing existing policy, independent research, and data, the Department convened listening sessions with external experts and partners — including:  

• Researchers who specialize in suicide prevention in custodial settings;
• Representatives from federal, state, and local law enforcement from across government;
• Representatives from the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts as well as federal defender and national defense counsel organizations; and
• Suicide prevention and prison reform organizations that advocate on behalf of individuals in the Department’s custody.