Exploring suicidal behaviours by probation clients—a qualitative near-lethal study

Mackenzie, Jay‐Marie; Cartwright, Tina; Borrill, Jo

doi:10.1093/pubmed/fdx005

Cited by 4 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…They highlight the need for further awareness-raising amongst frontline probation staff of sharing crucial information; something that would be missed with high-level analysis of Delius records. An alternative would be to conduct interviews with people who have attempted suicide whilst on probation supervision, as per Mackenzie et al ( 2018 ), or to speak with family members who have had a relative die whilst under supervision in the community. This would reflect the methodology adopted by the PPO following a death in custody or the EHRC when conducting their inquiry into the deaths of adults with mental ill health in custodial settings (EHRC, 2015 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…More recently still, Mackenzie, Cartwright and Borrill ( 2018 ) conducted research with seven probation clients who had attempted suicide. Their participants suggested that bereavement, loss of control over their mental state or situation, difficulties relating to their probation sentence, issues around trusting authorities, and an inability to disclose suicidal feelings were linked to their suicidal feelings and behaviours.…”

Section: What Do We Already Know About Suicide In Community Justice Smentioning

confidence: 99%

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Suicide and community justice

2018

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BackgroundThere has long been concern about the number of people who die in custody in England and Wales, particularly in prisons or police stations. The concern is obviously heightened when people die either at their own hand, or at the hands of others. Yet there has been selective critical gaze, and people who die whilst under probation or community supervision have been neglected (Phillips, J, Gelsthorpe, L, Padfield, N., Criminology & Criminal Justice, 10.1177/1748895817745939, 2017). Given that there is evidence to suggest that contact with the criminal justice system in non-custodial settings is associated with higher mortality rates than those found in the general population, such neglect is concerning.MethodsThis article explores data which has been published since 2016 by Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS) on the deaths of offenders whilst under supervision. We draw on data which is collected by probation providers and collated by HMPPS to present original analyses, with particular focus on deaths by suicide. We calculate rates of self-inflicted deaths and rate ratios with the general population and the prison population.ResultsThe suicide rates for all groups within the sample are higher than the general population.ConclusionsWe explore the utility of the data in helping us to understand the trends regarding people dying whilst under probation supervision with a particular focus on suicide, and highlight areas where the dataset is deficient. We conclude that whilst the dataset can be used to calculate headline rates of suicide it raises many questions in terms of the extant risks that people on probation face, and we explore ways in which the data can be used more fully to understand this important social and public health issue. We consider ways in which the dataset could be matched with other datasets in future research so that health issues might be brought into the analysis, and reflect on other research methodologies which would add depth to our understanding of why the mortality rate amongst people in contact with the criminal justice system is higher than in the general population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: What Do We Already Know About Suicide In Community Justice Smentioning

confidence: 99%

Suicide and community justice

2018

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“…This is not surprising given the difficulty to reach this "group" of people and the sensitivity that is required to carry out this type of research. An exception is an interview study with seven people who made a "near-lethal suicide attempt" whilst on probation (Mackenzie et al 2018). These interviews suggest there is a relationship between suicidal feelings and experiences of loss, including bereavement.…”

Section: Deaths Following Releasementioning

confidence: 99%

“…These interviews suggest there is a relationship between suicidal feelings and experiences of loss, including bereavement. Furthermore, participants found it difficult to disclose these types of feelings due to trust issues and cynicism concerning the Criminal Justice System (Mackenzie et al 2018). Participants also emphasised that having a purpose in life including feeling valued by family or friends or having a job decreased suicidal thoughts (Mackenzie et al 2018).…”

Section: Deaths Following Releasementioning

confidence: 99%

Dying in the Margins: A Literature Review on End of Life in English Prisons

Visser

2021

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This paper explores dying in English prisons. Whilst often conflated, death and dying are conceptually different. While there is increased attention given to the investigation of deaths in custody, and the impact of prison deaths on healthcare staff and custodial staff, little attention has been paid to the experience of dying people themselves. Post-death investigations tell us little about dying experiences of the dying. This paper reviewed the literature on dying in English prisons and highlights this clear gap in knowledge. Four types of dying will be discussed in this paper: (1) suicide, (2) dying in older age, (3) deaths post-release, and (4) COVID-19 deaths. The importance of providing good end-of-life care and palliative care in prison is acknowledged in the literature, but this only shows awareness of the needs of a particular part of the prison population. To understand the complexities and nuances of dying in prison, all voices need to be included in research, otherwise what is left post-death of a person who died in prison is a Fatal Incidence Report. More empirical research is needed to illuminate the diversity of prison deaths and the lived reality of those dying behind locked doors.

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“…Rather, investigations should be about seeking to identify systemic problems which might be hindering practitioners' ability to prevent suicide: this might be inadequacies in training, risk assessment procedures or issues around data collection. There is a small body of knowledge about who is most likely to die whilst under probation supervision (Borrill et al, 2017;Cook and Borrill, 2015;Mackenzie et al, 2018) but more needs to be done and doing more reviews and investigations will augment our understanding in this area. The range and number of investigations into prison deaths means we have a good understanding of why people die in prison.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%