Lethal vs nonlethal suicide attempts in jail

The rate of suicide in jails has been found to be 11 to 14 times greater than suicide within the general population. The purpose of the present study is to compare the demographic, offense, and situational characteristics of 665 adult male and 89 female jail inmates who attempted suicide by either hanging (lethal) or wrist or arm-cutting (nonlethal). Hanging attempts occurred at twice the rate of cutting attempts. Further, the mortality rate of inmates' attempts by hanging (52 deaths in 602 attempts) was 19 times greater than inmates who cut themselves (1 death in 275 attempts). Of all hanging suicide deaths 63% occurred on the inmate's first day of jail. The inmate's race, condition at arrest, hours after booking, type of charge, and size of jail differentiated lethal from nonlethal suicide attempts. Implications of these data for assessment of jail suicide risk and prevention are discussed.