SHORT REPORTS |
University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford
Derby City Hospital, UK
Correspondence: Dr Seena Fazel, University of Oxford, Department of Psychiatry, Warneford Hospital, Oxford OX3 7JX, UK. Email: seena.fazel{at}psych.ox.ac.uk
None.
We calculated, in narrow age bands, suicide rates for female prisoners
compared with the general population between 1978 and 2004. The standardised
mortality ratio (SMR) for suicide was 20.7 (95% CI 16.7–25.7), with a
higher excess in younger women (<25 years, SMR=40 (95% CI 29–57);
25 years, SMR=20 (95% CI 15–26)). There was a trend over time for
SMRs to have increased, supporting the need for recent national initiatives
for suicide prevention in prisoners.
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