ABSTRACT
Very little has been written about staff attitudes towards and opinions of suicides, suicide attempts and self-injury in prisons. Where they are mentioned, reference is usually made in the context of prevention procedures, outlining the various roles and responsibilities expected of them, and making some suggestion about training, often without any further detail about the content and feasibility of this training. Staff attitudes, experiences and problems are usually overlooked (Lloyd, 1990:4647; Home Office, 1986a); neither is there likely to be any discussion of where suicide prevention fits amongst the many other varied tasks expected of a prison officer. Prison staff are, however, an essential component in the exploration of suicide and deliberate self-harm in prison. It is important to discover how this behaviour is understood by those who most often discover and deal with it, and how far prison officers are able (and willing) to identify or seek out possible risk factors.
