And Darkness Closes in...A National Study of Jail Suicides

Abstract

Inmates in county jails and police lockups commit suicide at a rate of 16 times greater than individuals in the general population. This conclusion was reached as a result of findings in a National Study of Jail Suicides. Documentation of 419 suicides in county and local jails during 1979 is presented. From demographic data collected on 344 of these suicides, a profile of the victim was constructed. The victim is most likely to be a 22-year-old, white, single male. He would have been arrested for public intoxication, the only offense leading to his arrest, and would presumably be under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs upon incarceration. Further, the victim would not have had a significant history of prior arrests. He would have been taken to an urban county jail and immediately placed in isolation for his own protection and/or surveillance. However, less than three hours after incarceration, he would be dead. He would have hanged himself with material from his bed (such as a sheet or pillowcase). The incident would have taken place on a Saturday night in September, between the hours of midnight and 1:00 a.m. Jail staff would have found the victim, they say, within 15 minutes of the suicide. Later, jail records would indicate that the victim did not have a history of mental illness or previous suicide attempts. The special considerations of juvenile suicide, isolation, and intoxication are analyzed. Recommendations for jailers, public officials, and legislators are presented.

A Study of Attempted Suicides in Prisons

“…Most studies (Topp, 1979;Burtch and Ericson, 1979;Hayes, 1983) have shown that the crude rate for suicide in prison is far in excess of that in the general population. In view of this and the fact that over 50 per cent of those prisoners committing suicide between 1958 and 1971 had a history of previous attempts (Topp, 1979) we are surprised that there have been so few studies of deliberate self-injury occurring in prison (Koller and Castanos, 1969;Rieger, 1971;Biegel and Russell, 1972;Cookson, 1977).…”

The Development of a Canadian Prison Based Program for Offenders with Mental Illnesses

“…First, MDOs are more likely than other inmates to engage in "disruptive" behavior potentially harmful to themselves, other inmates, or correctional staff (Adams, 1985;Toch & Adams, 1986;Uhlig, 1976). Second, incidents of suicide in correctional facilities raise concerns not only for suicide victims, but also for inmates and correctional staff traumatized by the experience (Hayes, 1983;Polvi, 1997). Third, empirical research shows that MDOs are much more likely to be victimized (i.e., physically and/or sexually assaulted) in prisons than non-mentally disordered offenders, or people in the community (Cooley, 1992).…”

Inmate Suicide in Prisons: An Analysis of Legal Liability under 42 USC Section 1983

“…One reason for this is the contrast in the sheer numbers of jails compared to prisons (Hayes, 1983). Another reason is that prison inmates may have fewer support networks in the outside community than do jail inmates who are only recently removed from the community and possess closer contact with family and friends (Collins, 1995;Hayes, 1983). A problem in identifying case law specifically dealing with prison suicide arises from the defining standards themselves, in which the distinction between jail facilities and prison facilities is blurred, confused, or used interchangeably (Diaz-Ferrante v. Rendell, 1996;Jess v. Wagner, 1996).…”