The correctional nurse assesses a new prisoner beginning incarceration after committing a sex crime. The prisoner speaks in a low voice and tearfully tells the nurse, "My life might as well be over
There is no hope I will ever fit into society after I get out of prison. My family disowned me." Select the nurse's priority action.
a. Advise guards to place the inmate in solitary confinement.
b. Offer to contact the inmate's family to convey these feelings of remorse.
c. Alert the guards of the risk for suicide and implement suicide precautions.
d. Meet with the inmate weekly to discuss these feelings and explore coping strategies.
ANS: C
The inmate is experiencing significant shame and self-loathing, facing many significant losses (freedom, status in the community, perhaps his career), separated from his support system, and evidences hopelessness. These all suggest a significant risk of suicide. The priority response would be to alert the guards of the inmate's risk to self and implement suicide precautions. Safety is the primary issue; none of the other options is appropriate relative to suicide prevention.
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