Leaving this world: investigation on self-injurious and suicidal behavior in the correctional facilities of Puglia and Basilicata, Italy

Object: The starting point of our research is a clear and eloquent fact: in Italy detainees kill themself or self-injure between 9 and 21 times more than the free population. Suicide and deliberate self-harm are the most common form of death within the detention facilities. Knowing how inmates commit suicide, make suicide attempt and how they self-injure can help operators to develop preventive projects. Moreover, data and reflections upon that can be used as support for judiciary and social-health operators; they often are the first to cope with these phenomena within the penitentiary structures, adapting their work to resources often insufficient to face this delicate problem. Material and methods: data were collected through “Scheda di valutazione del rischio suicidario” extrapolated by 88 of imates collected from the penitentiaries of Trani, Foggia, Matera and the detainees section of the A.O.U. Policlinico of Bari. The data collected relate to personal data, state of mental and physical health and the presence of suicide attempts (SA) and non-suicidal self-injury acts (NSSI). Results: data showed that asphyxiation was the most commonly used methods for suicide attempts (55%), while wounds inflicted with white weapons were the most widely used means for non-suicidal self-injury acts (25%). Concerning mental health status, 81% of our sample have a psychiatric diagnose. This can suggest that psychiatric disorders may be an important risk factor for self-inflicted aggressiveness. Conclusion: the wide variety of used methods makes it necessary to restructure prison’s spaces and environments in order to reduce the number of phenomena.