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admission to the institution. The goal of this screening is to determine “the inmate’s security, medical, psychological, and/or other special needs.” The BOP also requires that institutions screen pretrial inmates “returning from court, as events at court may alter the inmate's separation and/or security needs.” BOP policy further recognizes that there are often “high security, high profile inmates” who may present a significant threat to themselves or others, and that the “need to identify and monitor these inmates regularly is paramount.” b. Suicide Prevention The BOP’s suicide prevention program is governed by federal regulations, 28 C.F.R. 88 552.40-552.42, which require the BOP to establish a suicide prevention program to identify and manage potentially suicidal inmates. Pursuant to these regulations, when an inmate is identified as being at-risk for committing suicide, BOP staff must place the inmate on suicide watch until the inmate is no longer an imminent risk. BOP policy (Program Statement 5324.08, Suicide Prevention Program) requires that medical staff screen all new inmates, ordinarily within 24 hours, for signs of suicidality. However, at MCCs, among other facilities with high rates of admissions and short lengths of stays, “comprehensive psychological intake conducted by Psychology Services ordinarily will be performed only on inmates who are suspected of being suicidal or appear psychologically unstable.” Inmates in the SHU are monitored more closely, and inmates exhibiting signs of potential suicide risk are referred to the shift Lieutenant. BOP policy recognizes that inmates who are placed in the SHU due to a request for protective custody are at greater risk of committing suicide and should therefore be screened for suicidal ideation within 72 hours of arriving in the SHU. BOP policy explicitly states that “staff must never take lightly any inmate suicide threats.” Any staff member who has reason to believe that an inmate may be suicidal should “ordinarily maintain the inmate under direct, continuous observation.” Every BOP institution must have one or more rooms, ordinarily in the health services area, dedicated to inmates placed on suicide watch. Suicide watch may be conducted by specially trained staff or inmates. For inmates placed on suicide watch, the specially trained staff or inmate maintains continuous observation of the inmate believed to be at risk of committing suicide. Following suicide watch and based on clinical findings following a face-to-face evaluation, the inmate will be removed from suicide watch or transferred to a medical referral or health care facility. Psychological observation is a less restrictive form of individual monitoring that is used for inmates who are stabilizing and not yet prepared for placement in general population or restrictive housing. While on suicide watch, the inmate is normally required to wear a suicide watch gown and will be allowed a suicide watch blanket. As discussed in greater detail in Chapter 4, witnesses told the OIG that an inmate is placed on suicide watch when the inmate is believed to be imminently suicidal. During suicide watch, the inmate is under constant observation by staff; the cell lights are on 24 hours a day; and the inmate is given a special mattress, blanket, and smock to wear. Although psychological observation is a lower classification, witnesses told the OIG that at MCC New York the psychological observations was the same as suicide watch except that inmates were allowed to have their clothing and some materials, such as books, as determined by the Psychology Department. At MCC New York, psychological observation was used to see how an inmate was doing before releasing the inmate to a housing unit. 11 DOJ-OGR- 00023378