[Fatalities during imprisonment in Hamburg 1962-1995]

In this study, 275 fatalities in Hamburg's prisons from 1962 to 1995 have been evaluated retrospectively. 57% unnatural causes of death have been found. These included 120 suicides, 21 drug-related deaths and 6 homicides. Suicides are committed primarily by socially desintegrated prisoners with some experienced time of custody and the expectation of another, longer period of arrest. The preferred method is hanging. Mostly the motivation to suicide is due to the situation in prison as such. It cannot be stated that the staff had neglected the suicidal tendency of the imprisoned. Compared with other regions, the number of suicides lies in average bounds and remained constant over the years, with about 138/100,000. The "Law of Imprisonment"/"Strafvollzugsgesetz" (1977) did not recognizably influence the number of suicides. Especially in the last years violent acts with succeeding death increased, but the absolute numbers are very low. Since 1989 a series of drug-related deaths occurred; among these there were no imprisoned being substituted with methadone up to 1995. Although one must regret every single case of death in prison, this study has shown in general that the circumstances in Hamburg have to be assessed by far less critical than it has been done occasionally with single cases in the public discussion.