NCJ Number
164123
Date Published
1996
Length
32 pages
Annotation
Inmate suicides in prisons in Great Britain are examined in terms of their incidence, contributing factors, current procedures for prevention, and recommendations for improvements in suicide prevention.
Abstract
Three hundred sixty-eight persons committed suicides in prison between 1983 and 1992. The rate of suicide in prison is two to seven times as high as the rate in the community. Most inmates who commit suicide are males. Those who commit suicide tend to be early in their period of custody. Persons being detained before trial appear to be at greater risk of suicide than others. The high correlation between the majority of inmates and the risk indicators suggests that attention should focus on how the prison experience itself contributes toward suicidal behavior. The intake process, the daily routine, bullying, self-injuries, and family contact all need attention. The Prison Department has distributed guidelines listing procedures for identifying and handling potentially vulnerable inmates. However, preventing suicide will require uniform implementation across the whole prison system. Effective practices include a reception process that is as unstressful as possible, rapid identification of vulnerable people, constructive daily activity, increased supervision to deter bullying, consistent recordkeeping to distinguish attempted suicide from self-injuries, facilitation of family visits, and the establishment of a suicide prevention management group in each prison. Appended tables and 18 references