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An ethical dilemma with an offender attempting self-harm

Would you give this offender a meal in attempts to negotiate him off the railing?

You are working as a supervisor of a unit. Your shift has gone smoothly without a hitch thus far. The noon meal concluded and offenders are returning to their cells. You receive an urgent radio call of an offender attempting self-harm in your unit.

When you reach the scene, you observe an offender on the upper tier with one end of a sheet tied around the railing and the other to his neck in a make shift noose. The offender is obviously angry and is shouting about missing his meal and that he is starving. He demands that employees bring him a meal, or he is going to jump from the tier and hang himself. Your unit officers are fairly certain that he more than likely didn’t each lunch.

Would you give this offender a meal in attempts to negotiate him off the railing? Whether you answer yes or no, what factors are you taking in to consideration?

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