Ten Years of Research into Self-Harm in the Western Australian Prison System: Where to Next?

Abstract

In this article the findings from a programme of research into self-harming behaviour in Western Australian adult prisons conducted since 1996 are integrated with findings from international research to construct a model to explain self-harm in prison. The critical component in the model is severe distress: the necessary ingredient for self-harming behaviour. Consequently, a critical aspect of any system to prevent self-harm in prison is to reliably detect and effectively respond to prisoners' distress. The priority for researchers is to test the model using prospective designs to permit conclusions about causative relations among factors.

Key words:

• prisoners
• self-harm
• suicide
• suicidal behaviour