Deliberate self-harm in a young offenders' institution

Abstract

There has been rising concern expressed at the apparently increasing rates of suicide in prisons over the past 10 years. Recent reports and studies have emphasized the importance of considering institutional factors which might contribute to this. The present study aims to explore the pattern of self-harm in a modern young offenders' institution (YOI) and assess the attitudes and motives of those who self-harm.

Twenty-five inmates who self-harmed were compared with a control group of other inmates. Cases showed high scores on the 30-item General Health questionnaire, reflecting their high levels of psychological distress at the experience of imprisonment. Situational factors were of overwhelming importance in precipitating self-harm and both cases and controls showed high levels of general deprivation.

Problems in conducting the study are described, and ways of addressing the problem of self-harm in prisons are discussed.

Key Words:

• young offenders
• self-harm
• psychiatric morbidity