Suicidal Ideation and Behavior Among Women in Jail

Abstract

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in U.S. jails; more than 400 jail inmates take their lives each year. Many risk factors for suicide are overrepresented in jail populations. The numbers of women incarcerated in the nation’s jails have increased dramatically in recent years. Yet most research on suicide has focused on males. This study assesses the rates and patterns of suicidal ideation and behavior among 1,272 women in jail. Overall, 53.7% reported suicidal ideation or suicidal behavior at some point in their lifetime. Non-Hispanic Whites were more likely than Hispanics to report thoughts of death (OR = 1.67), and more likely than African Americans to report wanting to die (OR = 1.59), thoughts of suicide (OR = 1.74), and previous suicide attempts (OR = 2.47). The authors discuss implications for research and the criminal justice system.

Women Inmates' Mental Health Needs: Evidence of the Validity of the Jail Screening Assessment Tool (JSAT)

“…Even after controlling for demographic differences, evidence from methodologically sophisticated studies indicates incarcerated men are two to three times more likely than men from the general population to have a severe psychiatric illness (e.g., schizophrenia or major affective disorder) (Hodgins, 1995;Teplin, 1990Teplin, , 1994Veysey, Steadman, Morrissey, & Johnsen, 1997). The bulk of the research examining the mental health status of inmates reflects findings with men (Charles, Abram, McClelland, & Teplin, 2003;World Health Organization, 2000).…”

“…The suicide rate among U.S. jail inmates is estimated to be higher than in sentenced inmates (Green, Kendall, Andre, Looman, & Polvi, 1993) and may be 9 to 14 times higher than within the general population (Hayes, 1989;McKee, 1998). Suicide is cited as one of the leading causes of death among U.S. inmates (Bonner, 1992;Charles et al, 2003) and the most common reason for litigation against U.S. jails (Collins, 2001). Women prison inmates in Canada are at significantly greater suicide risk than male inmates and/or women in the general population (Blanchette & Motiuk, 1999;Daigle, Alarie, & Lefbvre, 1999).…”

Near-lethal self-harm in women prisoners: contributing factors and psychological processes

“…Although much of the research in this area has focused on male prisonerswho worldwide represent on average 95% of the prison population (Walmsley, 2009) -there is evidence that rates of suicide are at least as high in female prisoners (Charles, Abram, McClelland, & Teplin, 2003;Mackenzie, Oram, & Borrill, 2003), despite the lower suicide risk of women in the general population (Hawton & Van Heeringen, 2009). In England and Wales, suicide rates in imprisoned women were reported to be 20 times higher than those recorded in women of the same age in the general population, a proportional excess greater than for male prisoners (Fazel & Benning, 2009).…”

A pilot study of group interpersonal psychotherapy for depression in substance-abusing female prisoners

“…The high rate of depressive disorder among incarcerated women with substance use disorder is a concern because this population is particularly vulnerable to negative sequelae of depression, including elevated levels of suicide risk (Charles, Abram, McClelland, & Teplin, 2003), reduced likelihood or recovery from their substance use disorder (Galaif, Nyamathi, & Stein, 1999;Warner, Alegria, & Canino, 2004;Westermeyer, Kopka, & Nugent, 1997), and higher prison recidivism rates (Benda, 2005). Furthermore, depressive disorders interfere with incarcerated women's ability to cope with a large array of stressors after release, including homelessness, poverty, stigma, physical and sexual abuse, family problems, medical problems, and an average of more than five Axis I disorders (Fickenscher, Lapidus, Silk-Walker, & Becker, 2001;Hills, 2000).…”