ABSTRACT
This chapter reviews who tends to commit suicide behind bars and how, where, and when the incidents tend to occur. It discusses the development of suicide prevention practices for inmates and nonincarceration options. The challenge of dealing with suicidal prisoners, many of whom have serious mental health issues, will continue to be an important part of the work of administrators and line staffers who have the most contact with inmates. While the researchers just cited have identified some commonalities among their samples, use of demographic information for suicide profiles typically lead to false positives and false negatives. The Oklahoma Department of Corrections has been targeting offenders with mental illness who are at high risk of recidivism. The commissions, lawsuits, and new laws and policies have generated some dramatic changes in the way prisons and jails are approaching inmate housing and treatment.
