NCJ Number
139260
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 4 Issue: 3 Dated: September 1992 Pages: 5-7
Date Published
September 1992
Length
3 pages
Annotation
A review of 13 of the most recent empirical studies on inmate suicide, carried out in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and Canada is used to establish a tentative profile of inmate suicide.
Abstract
The studies identified 12 factors associated with inmate suicide: gender, age, marital status, penal status, length of sentence, offense type, method, time, time served since incarceration, location, mental disorder, and previous suicide attempts. Certain other factors seem to be important in predicting and preventing suicide: overcrowding, prison regimes, contact with family and community, isolation and location, electronic monitoring, physical measures, receptions, and staff training. Two types of errors -- false negatives and false positives -- limit the accuracy of suicide prediction. Because some measures associated with suicide, including feelings and perceptions surrounding events in inmates' lives, are impossible to measure, the most effective way to prevent inmate suicide lies in staff training. 2 tables