NCJ Number
125319
Date Published
1990
Length
74 pages
Annotation
Concern over the incidence of suicide in British prisons arose because of the higher rate of suicide among inmates than among the general population, the public belief that suicide should be more preventable in a closed institution, and the notion that prisoners are the responsibility of the State and that prison conditions may lead to suicide.
Abstract
This literature review examines empirical studies of suicide in prison, of deliberate self-injury and self-mutilation, and of suicide prevention methods. Although studies of suicides in prison have been limited because of varying definitions of suicide, the use of a wide variety of inmate populations, the difficulties in making international comparisons, and the lack of detailed information about the inmates' characteristics, it appears that some of the factors involved in prison suicide include gender, age, marital status, penal status, length of sentence, offense type, day of the week, time from incarceration, location, mental disorders, and previous suicide attempts. Studies on deliberate self-injury have focused on previous suicide attempts, the definitions of attempted suicide and self-injury, the correlations between suicidal intent and outcome, and motivations for self-injury. While attempts to date to statistically predict suicidal behavior have not been successful, researchers believe that suicide prevention measures could include rectification of overcrowding, smaller and more supportive regimes in prison, increased contact with family and community, avoidance of isolation, inmate watch programs, electronic monitoring, physical measures, and staff training programs. 1 figure, 1 appendix, 62 references.