Clinical Perspectives On Crisis Intervention in Jails
Abstract
Clinical Perspectives On Crisis Intervention in Jails SAGE Publications, Inc.1981DOI: 10.1177/003288558106100106 Laurence French Dr. French is on the staff of the Psychology Department of New Hampshire Hospital, neuro-psychiatric center It is generally recognized that suicides, escapes, and sexual and aggressive acting out, including homicides, are more prevalent within jail environments than they are in other correctional facilities or mental institutions. Clearly, this phenomenon has contributed to the unfavorable image jails hold in America. Nonetheless, jails are here to stay and this problem must be addressed if the effectiveness of this form of incarceration is to improve. In this article we address this phenomenon from the clinical perspective using the most recent psychiatric criteria-the DSM-III (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 3rd edition). The Jail Crisis Phenomenon Jails have always been a penal enigma posing the greatest hardship for their inmates and problems for their keepers. They have been condemned as dire failures yet they provide one of the most essential functions within our criminal j ustice system-that of detaining suspects for the various stages of adjudication. Part of the confusion associated with jails is their dual role. They are used both as "holding" and "serving" facilities. And while serving jails