Risk factors for self-injurious behaviour in custody: Problems of definition and prediction

This article reviews the international literature of the last two decades on self-injurious behaviour in prisons and jails and introduces the risk factors associated with this behaviour. Studies from a variety of countries investigated different samples (e.g. in jails or prisons; female or male inmates). We only chose those studies using a control group of inmates without self-injurious behaviour. The findings on potential risk factors for self-injurious behaviour are largely contradictory because of the differences in sample selection and dependent variables (deliberate self-harm without suicidal intent vs. suicide attempts). We also discuss some methodological problems in predicting self-injurious behaviour.