Inmate attempted suicide Thursday at Luzerne County Correctional Facility

Luzerne County’s prison system had two inmate suicide attempts a week ago and another one Thursday, officials said.

The first two inmates found on Oct. 14 received medical treatment and have recovered, officials said.

County Acting Manager Romilda Crocamo informed council of Thursday’s attempt around 1 p.m., saying the inmate had been admitted to a hospital for care and that she would provide updates as additional information became available.

In 2020, there were 11 inmate suicide attempts but no deaths at the county prison, according to statistics reported to the state.

So far this year, there have been two suicides and 13 attempts, Crocamo said.

The effect is far-reaching, Crocamo said.

“As stunning as these figures may be, they don’t reflect suicide’s true impact on our community and the losses to each family,” Crocamo said.

She expressed gratitude that so many attempts were thwarted.

“I want to take the opportunity to commend the prison administration and correctional officers for their efforts in preventing suicides and saving lives,” Crocamo said.

County Correctional Services Division Head Mark Rockovich said correctional officers and medical staff immediately respond with CPR and other life-saving measures when suicide attempts are discovered.

“You can tell there is a genuine concern,” Rockovich said.

The prison had increased mental health services and screening protocols after four female inmate deaths (three suicides, one ruled accidental) from June 2017 to January 2018, and the administration sought another review of procedures after the two suicide deaths earlier this year.

Many inmates enter the county prison system struggling with mental health issues and substance use disorder in addition to the criminal matters that led to their incarceration, officials have said.

The death victims earlier this year were a 48-year-old female found unresponsive on May 8 and a 36-year-old male discovered unresponsive on March 22. Both deaths were caused by hanging, county Coroner Francis Hacken has said.

These two inmates were among 42 suicide deaths in the county through Oct. 21 this year, Hacken said.

This falls in line with the number of suicide deaths during the same nearly 10-month period in 2018, 2019 and 2020, his figures show.

Total annual county suicide deaths were 52 last year and 58 in both 2019 and 2018, the coroner said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has cited many factors that contribute to suicide among those with and without mental health conditions, including relationship problems, excessive alcohol and drug use, a crisis, criminal and legal problems, health issues, housing loss and employment or financial struggles.