Type II Workplace Violence in the Federal Bureau of Prisons

1
Type II Workplace Violence in the Federal Bureau
of Prisons

• Jennifer L. Edens, Ph.D.
• Chief, Behavioral Sciences Programs
• Department of Justice
• Federal Bureau of Prisons
• Washington, DC

2
Federal Bureau of Prisons

• Over 35,000 Staff
• 109 Institutions
• Over 180,000 Inmates
• Minimum to Administrative Maximum Security Inmates

3
Management Strategies

• Walk and Talk
• Know Your Inmate Population
• Effective Communication / Problem-solving
• Use of Force Model
• Confrontational Avoidance
• De-escalation
• Use of Force as Last Alternative

4
Why Inmates Assault

• Disciplinary Action
• National/International Events
• Gang or Terrorist Action
• Specific Agency or Staff Grievance
• Mental Illness
• RARE - Under the Influence of Substances / Crime
  in Progress

5
How Inmates Assault
6
Inmate Assaults on StaffRate Per 5,000
7
Demography of Assaults

• Special Housing Unit
• History of Threatened / Confirmed Assault on
  Staff
• History of Inpatient Psychiatric Treatment
• Higher Rates of Suicide Attempts
• Higher Rates of Head Injury

8
Future Directions

• SHU Technology Psychology Services and
  Correctional Services Interface
• History of Assaultive Behavior
• History of Suicidal Ideation/Attempts
• Mental Illness
• History of Poor SHU Adjustment
• Data Collection
• Assaultive Behavior Parasuicides Lethality
• Impulsive v. Planful Actions