NCJ Number
211230
Date Published
2005
Length
18 pages
Annotation
This chapter addresses the causes and motivations underlying suicidal behaviors in prison, specifically bullying as a cause.
Abstract
Suicide may result when the demands of the environment exceed the coping resources of a particular inmate. Many inmates enter prison with alcohol or drug dependence, poor coping skills, histories of suicidal behavior, and current mental disorders. The most prevalent personality disorders among inmates are antisocial personality disorder and borderline personality disorder, disorders significantly associated with suicidal gestures. Combined with the stress of imprisonment, the prevalence of suicide factors among inmates is strong. Bullying can also be an aggravating factor in suicidal behavior. Bullying usually describes a broad range of aggressive behaviors that are persistent, unprovoked, and intended to cause fear, harm, and distress in bullying victims. This chapter reports on a Dutch study of any links between bullying and suicidal behavior in prisons. Records were examined and interviews conducted to obtain data and information on inmate deaths, including the circumstances of the deaths and the characteristics of the decedents. All cases determined to be suicides were examined for victim statements about bullying, threats, harassment, or teasing by people from within or outside the prison. Respondents of the comparison group and experimental group were asked to indicate whether or not they had felt "bullied, threatened, harassed, or teased" during their incarceration. The study found that suicidal inmates more often reported being victims of bullying than did nonsuicidal inmates (66 percent compared to 34 percent). Other studies have also shown that many suicide-victim files contain references to bullying. The studies have also shown that the link between suicide and bullying is stronger when the bullying is severe. 3 tables and 52 references