The reliability, validity, and utility of the Adult Suicidal Ideation Questionnaire (ASIQ), Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS), Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (BSS), and Reasons for Attempting Suicide Questionnaire (RASQ) with correctional mental health populations was evaluated. Evidence was found indicating good to excellent reliability for all…

Findings from the first national survey on juvenile suicide in confinement are provided, and include the extent and distribution of juvenile suicides, as well as descriptive data on demographic characteristics of each victim, incident, and juvenile facility which sustained the suicide. Among the significant findings were that suicides were evenly…

The "Viennese Instrument for Suicidality in Correctional Institutions" (VISCI) presented here is based on the results of a large case-control study and on research on literature examining suicide prevention in general and in the prison population in particular. The aim of this study was to validate the properties of the VISCI to differentiate…

Self-harming behavior during incarceration has been a topic of increasing attention in recent years. Some authors attribute these episodes to the high level of stress that imprisonment generates coupled with a low quality of coping strategies employed by inmates. The main aim of this study was to identify, by means of coping typologies, prisoners…

We wished to examine determinants of suicidal behavior in prisoners. 903 male prisoners had a psychiatric interview which included various psychometric tests. Suicide attempters were compared with prisoners who had never attempted suicide. Significantly more of the attempters had a history of psychiatric disorder, substance abuse, a family history…

Suicide rates in prisons are high. Our aim was to investigate the contribution of imitative suicide to the prison suicide rate. We used Knox tests for space-time clustering in a case register of natural and self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales and model simulations to estimate the effect size. We found significant space-time…

Suicide prevention training for the prison service in England and Wales has been criticized. STORM is a package emphasizing the practice and review of interactions with suicidal persons and was evaluated in a pilot study for use in prisons. Trainees completed questionnaires immediately before and after training and at 6 to 8 months follow-up.…

Emotional experiences immediately prior to (emotional antecedents) and following (emotional consequences) deliberate self-harm and suicide attempts in female inmates (N = 63) were examined. Anger was the antecedent emotion reported by the largest proportion of individuals who had engaged in deliberate self-harm (45.16%), suicide attempts (40.9%),…

Recognizes suicide as leading cause of death in jails, with pretrial detainees being particularly at risk. Provides clinicians serving as consultants to jails with overview of legal precedent concerning liability for jail suicides on federal appellate, federal district, and state levels. Table provides summary view of appellate-level decisions on…

Used a national probability sample to compare the suicide rate among adolescents in adult jails, juvenile detention facilities, and the general population. Results showed the rate for adolescents in adult jails was more than 3.5 times larger than in the general population, while suicides in juvenile facilities were lower. (JAC)

Examined data on 44 completed suicides and 198 attempted suicides by jail and prison inmates in Netherlands. Found that majority of suicide completers died by hanging, most attempted suicides were performed impulsively by cutting wrists. Inmates born outside Netherlands and long-term prisoners were high-risk groups. (Author/NB)

Due to increasing litigation, significant insight has been gained over the past several decades on the problem of suicide in jail and prison. Provides a brief overview of the progress in research, programming, and policy. Reviews the key areas of process research, risk assessment, and penological policy changes considered vital for the field's…

Examines the prison suicide phenomenon by evaluating all suicides occurring in Austrian prisons between 1975 and 1997 (N=220). Results reveal suicide rates for prisoners on remand and mentally ill prisoners are 8 times higher than that of the general population. Recommends that psychologists concentrate on the suicide prevention of high-risk…

Suicide-related behavior (SRB) is significantly more prevalent among female (40.8%) than among male (28%) inmates, although suicide risk is higher among the latter. When instrumental behavior (IB) is excluded and only suicidal acts (SA) considered, rates for the two groups are more comparable (11.9% and 16%, respectively). Compared with other…

A review of 19 studies suggests that it may be feasible to identify prisoners with suicide risk on the basis of demographic, psychiatric, and criminal characteristics. The present study aimed to identify combinations of characteristics that are capable of identifying potential suicide victims. Characteristics of 95 suicide victims in the Dutch…