Identifying Suicidality Correlates Among People Incarcerated in Jail

The rate of suicidality in jail is estimated to be eight times greater than that of the general population, yet the identification of risk factors for suicidality among people incarcerated in jail has not been explored by researchers (Fazel, Grann, Kling & Hawton, 2011; Hayes, 1999; Noonan & Ginder, 2013). To date, the breadth of the literature on suicidology almost exclusively deals with the prison population or general public, and official data of completed suicides. However, when analyzing suicidality in jail and prison populations, it is evident they are not interchangeable and suicidal behaviors include more than just completed suicides. Identifying correlates of suicidality, the fuller spectrum of suicidal behaviors, allows for prevention and programming to be implemented before fatal self-harm occurs. This study seeks to identify correlates of suicidality, using the importations and deprivations models, of people incarcerated in jail as a means of better understanding this crisis, propose subsequent research, and equipping policymakers with the information they need to take action. Using data from self-reported surveys of jail inmates, this study focuses on predictors of a spectrum of suicidal behaviors other than completed suicide. This is the first such study on suicidality in jail environments and will inform research and policy