I was startled to hear that, the time Epstein was found with injuries to his throat, that he had a cell-mate; a four-times murdering ex-cop. What startled me was that a US Cop would be sent to prison for murder.
@deltaecho I thought that too. Suicide Watch sounds so positive and nurturing doesn’t it. I didn’t realise, until reading about this case, that it involves putting the subject in a glass room with the lights on 24hrs a day I don’t understand how that treatment is supposed to make the subject less suicidal.
@Ryuthrowsstuff@Brainspore the above is, I guess why your lawyer would ask you to be taken off suicide watch.
I used to do clerical work in a police station in the UK. There was a Health & Safety sign in the cells outlining the laws that covered the areas correct use and maintenance. The sign was a standard one, and covered Police Cells and Dog Kennels.
That’s actually not true. Only a small minority of suicidal impulses progress to attempts, and only a minority of attempts succeed. The only risk factor that changes the equation from “unlikely” to “likely” is, no surprise, easy access to firearms.
FWIW, this more or less matches my familiarity with the Suffolk County, NY prison: Vide surveillance that doesn’t show what should be seen, patrols that exist only in log books. I have no idea how Epstein died but inept prison management is credible, to say the least.
The silver lining in our times is that so many lies are getting exposed. We know prisons are hell, but we’re learning that we underestimated things by a couple of magnitudes.
he was already an ex-cop as he commited the murders, looks like a coke-deal gone wrong:
In December 2016, Tartaglione, who had already left the Briarcliff Police Department, was arrested and accused of killing four men, Martin Luna, Miguel Luna, Urbano Santiago, and Hector Gutierrez, as part of a cocaine conspiracy. The victims were found inside a property in Otisville that had been rented in the past by Tartaglione
This seems like a good jumping-off point for an interesting twitter thread that i came across regarding “suicide watch”.
It’s mostly from a clinical viewpoint, but many of the same points stand, including basic human need for dignity. In addition there are points like this:
That’s a good thread and surprisingly responsible. I worked in acute mental health in Australia for 10 years. Our processes are very similar to the ones this thread describes and like this thread not always adhered to.
There seems to be a misunderstanding about the constant lighting. It is because of the need for constant observation. A dimmer switch is all that’s needed. Enough light for observation. That or you are shining a torch on someone every fifteen minutes.
Ignoring cost and installing as an issue which in public health it is. Mental Health gets terrible funding even going by public health standards.
How long does a dead body stay warm before you notice that there is an issue. Is the camera good enough that you can watch respiration’s or does it need a microphone. A heat sensor doesn’t distinguish the type of bodily fluid.
I’m just saying it is unlikely for a camera on a person in an acute state to even be useful. It can easily get blocked or covered. If the level of monitoring is that high a camera may just add to fear and suspicion. Or even the idea that they are forgotten.
Just addressing that if you want to turn out the lights while monitoring the prisoner then a FLIR will do a good job, so yes to a degree I’m ignoring cost. There was a discussion up thread about the effect that continuous lighting has on well being.
However regarding cost, a microbolomoter FLIR is cheap but has low resolution (good enough for firefighters to find people in burning buildings though though). A more pricey InSb sensor with a cooled FPA will give plenty of resolution. Definitely good enough to allow you to tell if a person is moving and breathing. On the super cheap end are light amplifiers, the type used on the silly ghost-hunter shows. Those only require a brightness of about 3 millilux to be effective.
You have a continuous lowlight on any hospital wards. Due to people having issues with walking to and from a bathroom. Not to mention a potentially hazardous and uncommon environment. As staff your eyes adjust to light levels and with experience the checks can be done in very low level light. I agree though a completely dark environment would be ideal. It would be the most therapeutic.
In the situation of a 1:1 which is not uncommon. A staff member on night shift sitting in absolute darkness their fatigue will be the next issue to manage.
I don’t understand how that treatment is supposed to make the subject less suicidal.
