Prevention of Suicidal Behavior in Prisons.
BACKGROUND
Worldwide, prisoners are at high risk of suicide. Research on near-lethal suicide attempts can provide important insights into risk and protective factors, and inform suicide prevention initiatives in prison.


OBJECTIVE
To synthesize findings of research on near-lethal attempts in prisons, and consider their implications for suicide prevention policies and practice, in the context of other research in custody and other settings.


METHODS
We searched two bibliographic indexes for studies in any language on near-lethal and severe self-harm in prisoners, supplemented by targeted searches over the period 2000-2014. We extracted information on risk factors descriptively. Data were not meta-analyzed owing to heterogeneity of samples and methods.


RESULTS
We identified eight studies reporting associations between prisoner near-lethal attempts and specific factors. The latter included historical, prison-related, and clinical factors, including psychiatric morbidity and comorbidity, trauma, social isolation, and bullying. These factors were also identified as important in prisoners' own accounts of what may have contributed to their attempts (presented in four studies).


CONCLUSIONS
Factors associated with prisoners' severe suicide attempts include a range of potentially modifiable clinical, psychosocial, and environmental factors. We make recommendations to address these factors in order to improve detection, management, and prevention of suicide risk in prisoners.
1 Department of Psychology, Middlesex University, London, UK.
Lisa
L
Marzano
2 Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford, UK.
Keith
K
Hawton
2 Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford, UK.
Adrienne
A
Rivlin
2 Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford, UK.
E Naomi
EN
Smith
3 Health and Justice, Health and Wellbeing Directorate, Public Health England, London, UK.
Mary
M
Piper
2 Centre for Suicide Research, University of Oxford, UK.
Seena
S
Fazel
D006801:Humans; D011329:Prisoners; D011330:Prisons; D013406:Suicide, Attempted / Q000517:prevention & control*; D000092864:Suicide Prevention
jail; prevention; prison; self-harm; suicide