EFTA00138514¶
Fwd: Update Epstein Response¶
From¶
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Date¶
2019/10/21 16:26¶
Subject:¶
Fwd: Update Epstein Response¶
TEXT.htm, Epstein Response2.docx,¶
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FYI…¶
¶10/21/2019 9:44 AM >>>
Psy.D.¶
Please see updated response based upon the e-mail sent by the Captain over the weekend regarding rounds in the suicide watch area.¶
Chief Psychologist¶
U.S. Department of Justice/¶
Federal Bureau of Prisons¶
Metropolitan Correctional Center¶
150 Park Row¶
New York, New York 10007¶
SDNY_00016379 Page 8697¶
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Psychology Epstein Reconstruction Responses¶
1. Single Cell Placement¶
A system has been put in place to ensure inmates are not single celled. A single cell report is completed during each shift by the SHU Lieutenant during Day Watch and the Operations Lieutenant during the Morning Watch and Evening Watch. Notifications are made to the Institution Duty Officer (IDO) and Executive Staff.¶
Psychology discusses the status of inmates who are at-risk for suicidality, their housing needs, as well as their needs for cellmates during staff meetings, department head meetings, SHU meetings, morning meetings, and close out meetings.¶
When inmates are placed on and off suicide watch, the Warden is notified verbally, regardless of the time of . The Warden then determines which suicide watch area a suicidal inmate will be housed and if they will be observed with an inmate companions or a staff member.¶
Psychology verbally notifies the Lieutenant when inmates are removed from suicide watch and communicates to the Lieutenant that they will need to be placed with a cellmate (Providing direct communication and instructions). Cellmates are recommended not only for SHU inmates being removed from suicide watch, but also for inmates returning to the general population setting.¶
Once an inmate is removed from suicide watch, psychology staff sends an e-mail to the Executive Staff, IDO, and Lieutenants informing them the inmate is being removed from suicide watch and can return to a cell with a cellmate. The e-mail contains the name of the staff member whom psychology verbally spoke with. This recommendation for a cellmate and conversation with the Lieutenant is also documented in the Post Suicide Watch Report and placed in BEMR/PDS.¶
Psychology Services has eliminated the use of Psychological Observation to avoid any confusion as to the needs of inmates on a watch status.¶
3. Cellmate Assignments¶
Inmates with serious mental illness and those at-risk for suicidality are discussed during staff meetings, department head meetings, SHU meetings, morning meetings, and close out meetings. The Captain, Associate Wardens, Warden and Psychology discuss the inmate’s needs. The Staff Attorney also assists when the inmate’s attorney or court are concerned about an inmate’s mental health. Psychology Services are involved in making recommendations regarding the types of¶
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cellmates that inmates at-risk for suicidality should celled with. Psychology Services takes into consideration the suicide risk factors involved with a particular inmate and share their knowledge with Executive Staff.¶
4. Documentation Accuracy¶
Psychology considers the information from more than one source when making decisions about suicide watch placement. Clinical judgment is used to make determinations taking into consideration each person’s self-report of a situation as they may be perceived differently.¶
The Chief Psychologist has spoken to all psychology staff members concerning proof reading all documents entered to reduce typos and to improve information accuracy. Additionally, there is a second Staff Psychologist in the department which helps reduce the workload on current psychologists, allowing more time for documentation review.¶
The Chief Psychologist and Drug Abuse Coordinator counseled the Drug Treatment Specialist (DTS) concerning her documentation in the suicide watch log book. There was no ill-intent on the part of the DTS as all log books were maintained; the original log book written by the officer and the one documented by the DTS. The DTS indicated a desire to assist the officer as he had written in the wrong log book. Specifically, he wrote in the inmate companion log book rather than the staff log book. However, she was informed that this is not her role and she is not to document in a log book for anyone else observing an inmate on suicide watch. In the future, only the staff member watching the inmate on suicide watch documents in the suicide watch log book. Log books are now being closely monitored on a daily basis by the Chief Psychologist.¶
The Psychology Department has eliminated Psychology Observation at MCC-NY. Both Staff and the Lieutenants received additional training on when they are required to complete rounds and sign Suicide Watch log books. With regard to suicide watch log books signatures, Correctional Staff are required to perform routine rounds every hour. The 2 Sally Officer on Monday- Friday during Watch is required to perform rounds on suicide or observation watch inmates as prescribed by the Captain. After-hours, the Unit 2 Officer will be responsible for making rounds, feeding meals, collecting trash in the area, and performing the count with the Internal 1 or Internal 2 assisting with duties as assigned by the Captain. Additionally, Psychology staff check the suicide watch logs daily when they interview the inmates on suicide watch. If it is noted hourly rounds are not being conducted by the Unit Officer and/or the Lieutenants are not rounding and signing the books each shift, the Associate Warden over Programs and the Captain are notified immediately and enforce accountability.¶
6. Direct Observation¶
The Psychology Department has eliminated Psychology Observation at MCC-NY.¶
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Inmates on Suicide Watch are only provided legal visits under special circumstances as deemed by the Court.¶
7. Follow Up¶
Staff have been trained when they have concerns for an inmate’s mental health, they need to make verbal contact with either Psychology Staff or a Lieutenant. If Psychology is not in the institution, an inmate is placed on suicide watch, and the on-call psychologist and Warden is notified.¶
All Psychology Staff added a response to their incoming emails. This automatic replay states, “If you are emailing about an inmate that may be at risk for suicide or self-harm, this is an emergency situation. Please make sure that you make contact (verbally) to Psychology Staff or the on-call psychologist. Please ensure to maintain constant visual observation of the inmate until formal steps can be taken to ensure his/her safety pending a formal assessment by a Psychologist.”¶
The Psychology Department uses PSY ALERT codes more frequently with high profile cases and with inmates with a history or charge of a sex offense. The PSY ALERT code is applied more immediately and not just when an inmate is about to leave the institution. If an inmate is moved in and out of our institution for court, etc., the inmate is assessed more immediately prior to being released to a unit.¶
R&D staff have been reminded of the Marshall and Court alert notices. Psychology Staff are notified immediately if there are suicidal concerns noted by the Courts. If Psychology is not in the institution, an inmate that enters the institution with an alert notice is placed on suicide watch, and the on-call psychologist and Warden is notified. These inmates receive a suicide risk assessment by a psychologist before being released to the general population.¶
8. Inmate Accountability and Assignment Accuracy¶
With regard to the accuracy and accountability of inmates placed on suicide watch status in the hospital area, Psychology Services now runs a daily Sentry roster of all the inmates on suicide watch in the hospital area. The roster is examined to ensure that the inmates placed on suicide watch in a suicide watch cell are keyed into SENTRY with the correct cell assignment noted. The Associate Warden, Programs, is notified if there are any inconsistencies. Moreover, the four suicide watch cells now all have Sentry Assignments of H01-001L – H01-004L.¶
11. Post Orders & SHU Training¶
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The Suicide Watch Post Orders is located in the Lieutenant’s Office with a quarterly sign-in sheet. All staff members assigned to a suicide watch post are responsible for signing the post orders prior to performing the staff suicide watch.¶
With regard to SHU Suicide Prevention training, this continues to be carried out on a quarterly basis. However, the sign-in sheets for this training are now be examined by the SHU Lieutenant for accuracy. If a staff member who is assigned to SHU misses the training, they see the Chief Psychologist and schedule a time to receive a make-up session for the SHU Suicide Prevention Training.¶
12. Staffing¶
The current Drug Abuse Coordinator position is currently a shared position. The Warden is currently working on re-establishing the Drug Abuse Coordinator position as a full-time position to provide the Psychology Department with an additional supervisory psychologist to perform critical clinical services. At the current time, the position has been formally announced.¶
$$13_{2} \quad \text{Sex Offense Risk Factors}$$¶
The Chief Psychologist or her representative continues to be present at all Executive Staff Meetings, Department Head Meetings, and SHU meetings. During these meetings, the Chief Psychologist offers feedback regarding the treatment and management of sex offender inmates. Additionally, the Chief Psychologist continues to educate all staff during Institution Familiarization (IF) and Annual Training (AT), about the sex offender specific risk factors and suicidality.¶
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