Fatal suicidal hangings among prisoners in jail

A study of suicidal death by hanging, which occurred when the victim was in jail, was performed on the case files of the Metropolitan Dade County Medical Examiner Department in Miami, Florida, for the ten-year period July 1978 to July 1988. A total of 23 fatalities occurred. These were categorized epidemiologically. A discussion ensues concerning what can be done to prevent such tragedies.