ABSTRACT
This chapter sets out the strategy employed throughout the research conducted in the search to understand suicide attempts amongst young prisoners, discussing methodological and theoretical issues arising from it. The reader is reminded of the theoretical and practical research aims, and of the serious gaps left by previous studies. Some preliminary issues of definition, description and explanation are raised, and the particular nature of the research problem considered. The rest of the chapter outlines the methods chosen, justifications for this approach, and relates precisely how the research was carried out. Finally, the experience of carrying out this investigation is discussed, reflecting on the research process in the prison setting, and raising themes such as reflexivity, gender effects and ethics.
