NCJ Number
183231
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 27 Issue: 3 Dated: June 2000 Pages: 401-419
Date Published
June 2000
Length
19 pages
Annotation
This study describes factors of law enforcement-assisted suicide, also known as suicide-by-cop (SbC) subjects.
Abstract
The study describes historical, personality, behavioral and situational factors of SbC subjects. These factors were then used to compare differences between SbC subjects who successfully forced officers to intervene with lethal force and those who did not. Substance abuse, previous suicide attempts, stressful life events, length of residence in the location of the incident and homicidal conversation during the SbC incident did have weak relationships with the outcome. The need to consider the law enforcement officers’ reactions to the level of danger the subject presented became evident in a number of other variables: the weapon the SbC subject possessed, the initial complaint and the conversation during the incident. Subjects who had firearms, were wanted for outstanding criminal warrants or included homicidal threats in their conversations with officers were more likely to be shot. SbC subjects with mental health problems were most often labeled as schizophrenic or bipolar. Social isolation, a risk factor for suicide, was not a characteristic of SbC subjects; a majority of subjects possessed a support system. Tables, appendix, note, references