The Distillation of “VISCI”: Towards a Better Identification of Suicidal Inmates

The Viennese Instrument for Suicidality in Correctional Institutions presented in this article is based on the results of a large case-control study & on research examining suicide prevention in general & in the prison population in particular. The aim of the study was to validate the properties of this instrument to differentiate between suicides & nonsuicides. The sensitivity & specificty was tested using the files of 66 correctional suicides & 110 controls. The instrument differentiated well between the two groups. The routine administration of the scale may help to direct professional attention to inmates with the highest need. (21 refs.)