American Indian Suicides in Jail: Can Risk Screening Be Culturally Sensitive?

Do jail inmates' cultural backgrounds affect how they react to authorities' attempts to assess their risk for suicide? A recent NIJ study found that the screening questionnaire used by a county jail located near Indian lands failed to elicit direct responses about personal matters from American Indian detainees. Findings suggest that tailoring suicide risk assessment protocols to the cultural backgrounds of detainee populations might be more effective.