Imprisonment and suicide: importance of self-injury at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Milan, Italy

Introduction: the phenomenon of suicides in prisons assumed great importance and resonance during the last few years, polarizing the attention of various disciplines specialists because of the elevated risk of suicide that dramatically characterizes prisoners compared to the general population; this fact points out the problem of prisoners protection and their right to health. Methods: the Authors analyse 54 cases of suicide occurred in Milan prisons, found with a retrospective study of 13182 autopsies carried out between 1995 and 2006 at the Institute of Legal Medicine of Milan. Results: the 54 cases were analyzed under multiple points of view, including general data (gender, age, previous diseases), psychiatric profile (suicidal intentions, previous suicide attempts) and pathological characteristics (modality and cause of death), and we have identified “risk factors” of suicide in prison. Conclusions: risk factors of suicide commonly found in the general population are over-represented in prisoners. The Authors highlight the bases for a possible program of suicide prevention that could be used in prisons, often recognizing the inefficiency of the measures of detention.