ABSTRACT
This chapter reflects upon some important suicide prevention efforts made by the Prison Service in England and Wales between 2004 and 2014, and considers some of the increased risks. It argues that findings from studies of suicide risk and its prevention provide a detailed empirical development of the theoretical claims made by legitimacy scholars. This evidence suggests that the experience of fairness and safety in prison, which are experienced as a kind of trust in the environment, have significant emotional consequences for prisoners. The chapter suggests that existing policy reflects good suicide prevention principles but an 'enabling' moral climate is critical to its sound implementation. The use of imprisonment, and the resourcing and organization of prisons, also require analysis in any explanation of increased suicide rates, and in prevention efforts. The chapter suggests that an 'enabling' moral climate is critical to the sound implementation of good existing suicide prevention principles and practices.
