An Anti-Carceral Approach to Suicide Prevention
Mainstream approaches to suicide prevention often rely on coercive and oppressive systems—calling the police, forced hospitalization, or surveillance under the guise of “safety.” While these interventions may be well-intentioned, they can be deeply harmful, especially for communities already targeted by policing and institutional violence, including Black, Indigenous, disabled, trans, queer, and poor people.
An anti-carceral approach to suicide prevention requires us to decolonize our approach to mental health practices, even in moments of crisis.. It starts by recognizing that punishment and coercion do not heal despair. In fact, being handcuffed during a crisis, locked in an emergency room, or subjected to involuntary treatment can reinforce shame, fear, and disconnection—the very conditions that fuel suicidal thoughts. It can even cause grave danger to the person the provider is intending to protect.
Instead, an anti-carceral framework centers care, dignity, and community. It asks:
How can we respond with compassion instead of control?
How can we create networks of support so that someone in crisis has people to call other than 911?
How can we build systems where struggling people are not punished, but affirmed, listened to, and resourced?
This might look like training community members in crisis response, supporting peer-run warm lines, expanding access to culturally affirming therapy, and strengthening mutual aid networks. It also means addressing the root causes of despair—poverty, racism, homophobia, transphobia, ableism, and isolation. Suicide prevention cannot be separated from social justice.
Most importantly, it means asking people directly if they are thinking about suicide, listening without judgment, and staying with them through their pain. If someone says yes, an anti-carceral response resists defaulting to police or coercive systems, and instead prioritizes safety through connection—whether that’s sitting with them, helping them reach a trusted friend or existing professional support, or connecting them with voluntary, affirming crisis services. And if someone is in life-threatening danger, calling for medical and professional help is still critical, and ideally, it is done in ways that prioritize their dignity when other supports cannot keep them safe.
If you are struggling, please know: your life matters. You deserve support that honors your humanity and your agency. Reaching out is not weakness—it is an act of resistance against isolation and despair.
If you, a client, or someone you love is in crisis and is located in the U.S., you can try one of the resources below for help:
Trans Lifeline (U.S. & Canada): 877-565-8860 – Peer support run by and for trans people with reportedly no nonconsensual active rescue.
BlackLine (U.S. & Canada): 1-800-604-5841 – A space for BIPOC, by BIPOC, with focus on those most impacted by systemic oppression.
Warmline Directory (U.S.): Warmline.org – A directory of peer-run phone lines for emotional support, not immediate crisis intervention.
Suicide & Crisis Lifeline (U.S.): 988 – A direct line for support with call, text, and chat options available. Please note that this may involve involuntary emergency response if deemed necessary by the responder.
You can also search for local crisis response services led by mental health professionals in your area or therapeutic crisis drop-in centers. For those outside the U.S., look up local hotlines or seek out community-based resources that align with your needs and values.
Our current system of care is deeply flawed, and sometimes the best we can do is navigate these flawed systems with our clients and loved ones in crisis as advocates. Liberation means imagining care beyond cages, beyond punishment, beyond fear. An anti-carceral approach to suicide prevention reminds us: connection, not coercion, saves lives.