Correlates of suicidal history in male prisoners

The relationship between suicide and previous attempt thereto is generally recognized. In this study of adult male prisoners, those with a history of attempted suicide were compared with age-matched controls in order to evaluate factors associated with suicidal behaviour. As well as confirming its relationship with certain other factors (notably mental illness and addiction) it was found that prisoners with many previous convictions were much more likely to have attempted suicide. It is suggested that conviction rate might be a useful addition to the measures already employed in assessing suicidal risk.