NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — In an effort to expand resources for suicide prevention among inmates, the Tennessee Department of Correction recently activated its Suicide Prevention Hotline that loved ones can call. Family members can now notify prison personnel if they suspect their incarcerated loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviors.
The TDOC suicide prevention hotline number is 1-833-421-SAVE (7283). TDOC stated in a release about the hotline that the reporting tool, which was brought online in late September, expands the department’s comprehensive suicide prevention program to ensure the safety of offenders in custody.
“Family members are oftentimes the ones who receive the initial notification and indication of self-harm from an offender,” Lee Dotson, Assistant Commissioner of Prisons, said. “Therefore, we felt it necessary to provide them a direct point of contact to report these concerns.”
The Suicide Prevention Hotline will be routed to TDOCs Central Communication Center (CCC), which is staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Analysts at the CCC will then make notifications to the facility where the offender is housed so intervention can take place immediately.