This report is divided into 5 sections: 1) the scope of the assessment; 2) the importance of mental health issues to jails; 3) the results of the assessment; 4) a mental health plan; & 5) the authors’ conclusions. The majority of jail staff believed that genuine suicide attempts were rare & that most attempts were attention-getting behaviours. Even so, most staff did take atttempts seriously. Most jail personnel also expressed the need for further training in suicide prevention. (24 refs.)