Self‐inflicted Deaths in Prisons in England and Wales from 1988 to 1996

In this study of 420 self‐inflicted deaths in prisons a number of themes emerge. First, important definitional issues in the study of suicide. Second, the observation of the inverse relationship between risk of suicide and time spent at the individual prison institution. Third, that significant age group differences in suicide rates are not distinguishable in prison. Fourth, that factors associated with an increased or decreased risk of suicide are often dynamic at a societal, institutional and individual level.