Suicide Rates Among African Americans Who Are Incarcerated:

A Disproportionate Detainment of African Americans

Event Date: May 31, 2024

Time: 9 AM – 1:30 PM

Location: Online

Event Speaker: Darius Campinha-Bacote, PsyD, HSP

 

About the Presenter:

Darius Campinha-Bacote, PsyD, HSP – is a licensed clinical psychologist at the Dallas County Juvenile Detention Center, where he is a functional family therapist and program supervisor for the Functional Family Therapy program. In this role, he works with youth and their families who come from underprivileged backgrounds. Dr. Darius Campinha-Bacote received his BA in Psychology, double minoring in Social Work and Women’s Studies from the University of Dayton, and both his master’s and doctorate from Wright State University School of Professional Psychology (SOPP). He is credentialed as a Health Service Psychologist (HSP), as well as a certified trauma therapist in Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). Dr. Darius Campinha-Bacote has served as the Cultural and Linguistic Competency Coordinator for a Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) grant in which he partnered with youth and adults to coordinate culturally competent policies designed to ensure culturally specific interventions for transitional-aged youth from diverse ethnic and cultural background.

Course Description:

Current literature (2024) suggests that approximately 700,000 individuals unalive themselves each year here in the United States, and a disproportionate amount of these deaths occur in our jails and prisons (Pedrola-Pons et. al, 2024). Furthermore, individuals who are incarcerated in the American penal system have a higher propensity to be African American. This training aims to discuss recent literature on the increased rates of suicide and factors that increase the risk of suicide within this demographic, as well as targeted intervention techniques catered to this population. The goal of this training is to raise awareness of an overlooked population, all with insights from a correctional psychologist with a decade of experience working with justice-involved individuals.