NCJ Number
197330
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 47 Issue: 5 Dated: September 2002 Pages: 1108-1111
Date Published
September 2002
Length
4 pages
Annotation
In exploring the correlates of the death row suicide rate in the United States, this study focused on two sets of variables, those from death row itself and those from the larger society.
Abstract
Data on the death-row population for each year (1976-99), the number of death sentences, the number of executions, and the number of suicides were obtained from the annual publication from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, entitled "Capital Punishment." Since the majority of the inmates on death row were males, the suicide rate for males in America was used for comparison purposes. The correlational and regression analyses were conducted by using a statistical package from Doan. Multiple regression models were also developed. The suicide rate on death row was found to have declined over the period studied; and since the population on death row has increased over this period, the suicide rate on death row was negatively associated with the population on death row. It may be that suicide prevention efforts in prisons have improved over the period examined, resulting in a lower suicide rate on death row. Alternatively, it could be that the increasing population on death row has changed the social environment and also the state of mind of the inmates. It might also be that death row inmates are less likely to be housed alone in single cells as the death-row population has increased. The death row suicide rate was not significantly associated with the male suicide rate in the general population. Although the suicide rate for men in the general population was not associated with the social indicators (marriage, birth, divorce, and unemployment rates), three of these social indicators (marriage and birth rates and to a lesser extent divorce rates) were associated with the death row suicide rate. Although this study was unable to account for the associations identified, it has shown that the death row suicide rate may be predictable based on the characteristics of death row and social indicators of the larger society. One possibility for future research is to explore indicators of social integration on death row itself rather than in the society at large, such as housing arrangements and visitor frequency. 3 tables and 27 references