A Study of Attempted Suicides in Prisons

Abstract

To date there have been very few studies of attempted suicide occurring in prison. This study analyses 111 reports of attempted suicide occurring in a one-year period in the prisons of the Midlands and South West regions of England. Unlike the general population, where there are marked differences (age, sex, etc.) between those attempting and those completing suicide, the characteristics for both groups in prison are similar, high risk being associated with youth, with being on remand or recently sentenced, and with a history of mental or physical illness. There is some indication that those in Young Offender Establishments may be more likely to attempt suicide by hanging. The motivation given by the inmates most commonly stated some form of emotional stress relating to poor communication with family or friends, and in this respect they are similar to attempters outside prison.

Psychiatric and social aspects of suicidal behaviour in prisons

“…These are similar to the social risk factors for suicidal behaviour found in the general population (Meltzer et al 2002). Wool & Dooley (1987) reported that a high risk of attempted suicide was associated with being young, being on remand or recently sentenced, and having a history of mental and physical illness. Inch et al (1995) found that the most common reason for self-harm in a young offenders institution was bullying, followed by feelings of being locked in (' banged up '), or claustrophobia.…”

Studying survivors of near-lethal suicide attempts as a proxy for completed suicide in prisons

“…The men's prisons included three Young Offenders' Institutes (prisoners aged [18][19][20][21], three Category 'A' (maximum security) prisons, 12 Category B prisons (establishments for those who do not require maximum security but for whom escape must be made difficult) and one Category C prison (for prisoners who cannot be housed in open conditions but who are unlikely to try to escape). The male prisons were all located within a hundred miles of the study centre.…”

“…The third category was severe self-cutting. While self-cutting is the most common method of self-harm in prison [21][22][23], it is not always easy to assess how medically severe it is. We classified cases of cutting as near-lethal if a body cavity or major organ was punctured.…”

Traumatic life events and suicide risk among jail inmates: The influence of types of events, time period and significant others

“…A number of recent life events (i.e., occurring 6-12 months prior to the suicide attempt), such as loss of a family member or friend, parental addiction, and parental inpatient psychiatric treatment, have also been found to be related to attempted suicide (Arensman et al, 1999;Paykel, Prusoff, & Myers, 1975;Welz, 1988). The few studies in samples of inmates have revealed relationships between attempted suicide and early loss of significant others (Koller & Castanos, 1969;Rieger, 1971), sexual and physical abuse during childhood (Lester, 1991;Liebling, 1992Liebling, , 1995, family histories of offending and mental disorder (Griffiths, 1990;Liebling, 1992Liebling, , 1995, and recent domestic or family problems (Lester, 1991;Liebling, 1992Liebling, , 1995Power & Spencer, 1987;Wool & Dooley, 1987). Thus, attempted suicide has been found to be associated with a large array of recent life events and a large array of life events during childhood and later life.…”