Suicides in the Pen

I was reading the Chinese newspaper today and came across an article about San Quentin State Prison. The article was about prisoners graduating from a program called "Brother's Keeper" that counsels others to prevent suicide. It's a 15-month training program to learn how to look for warning signs in prisoners who have potential mental issues, depression, and psychological pressures.

I found out in the article that a life prisoner I knew had committed suicide in 2005 after 31 years of confinement. He hung himself after breakfast one day.

During my time in prison, I'd witnessed and encountered many prisoners who wanted to commit suicide because they had decided that life was not worth living. I had the privilege to counsel some of them.

Sometimes prisoners trust other prisoners more to share their problems with instead of the mental health staff in prison. There should be more programs to help people to prevent suicides in state institutions.