Title: Inmate Suicide: Prevalence, Assessment, and Protocols -- Tripodi and Bender 7 (1): 40 -- Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention
Headings: Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention
Brief Treatment and Crisis Intervention
Inmate Suicide: Prevalence, Assessment, and Protocols

Content: Suicide rates in state prisons seem to have stabilized since 1995. In 2002, there was a minor decrease to 14 suicides for every 100,000 prison inmates, which equals approximately 280 suicides (Tartaro & Lester, 2005). Researchers have generally found that local jail suicide rates are consistently higher than state prison suicide rates ( Mumola, 2005; Tartaro & Lester, 2005 ). Jail suicide rates, however, have also declined steadily over the past two decades ( Figure 1 ). In 1983, there were 129 suicides per 100,000 inmates reported ( Hayes, 1995 ). In fact, the majority (56%) of jail deaths in 1983 were due to suicide. In 2002, the suicide rate in jails decreased to 47 suicides per 100,000 inmates (Tartaro & Lester, 2005). In 1997, suicide was the leading cause in prisons ( Hayes, 1997 ); however, natural causes (52%) recently surpassed suicide (32%) as the most frequently cited cause of death.