Contribution of imitative suicide to the suicide rate in prisons
Abstract
Suicide rates in prisons are high. Our aim was to investigate the contribution of imitative suicide to the prison suicide rate. We used Knox tests for space-time clustering in a case register of natural and self-inflicted deaths in prisons in England and Wales and model simulations to estimate the effect size. We found significant space-time clustering among 657 self-inflicted deaths in 90 prisons over 10 years but no space-time clustering among 430 deaths from natural causes in 87 prisons over this period. Model simulations with an imitation rate of 5.8% (CI 1%-11%) reproduced the observed space-time clustering.
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Evidence on the clustering of self-harm and suicide in custody suggests that interventions after suicidal behaviour should extend beyond the individual prisoner to others in the same wing or prison who could be at risk.
“This recommendation is supported by evidence on the clustering of self-harm5 and suicide78 in custody, which suggests that interventions after suicidal behaviour should extend beyond the individual prisoner to others in the same wing or prison who could be at risk.”
From Risk factors for self-harm in prison: a systematic review and meta-analysis (2020) · cites this paper as [78]
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References 25 · Cited by 36
- Authors
- McKenzie, N., & Keane, M.
- Affiliations
- The Royal Free Hospital (GB)
- HM Prison and Probation Service (GB)
- Corresponding author
- McKenzie, Nigel
- ORCID
- McKenzie, Nigel
- Venue
- Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior
- Publisher
- Wiley
- Published
- 2007-10
- Volume
- 37
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 538-542
- ISSN
- 0363-0234 (ISSN-L)
- 1943-278X
- OpenAlex
- W2159925093
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 25
- Citations by year
- 2024: 1 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 1 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 1 · 2017: 2 · 2016: 4 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 6 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 2.54
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- UCL Discovery (University College London) (submittedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Suicide and Self-Harm Studies
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Homicide, Infanticide, and Child Abuse
- Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
- Keywords
- prison suicide, self-inflicted death, spatiotemporal clustering, Knox test, natural death, prison deaths, model simulation
- MeSH terms
- England, Humans, Prisoners, Suicide, Wales, Databases, Factual
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