Marginal members of society fail, for whatever reason, to adequately internalize an acceptable or meaningful set of norms from which to assess their successes & failures. Consequently “Loss” does not seem to be a significant factor associated with most forensic suicides. Chronic ambiguity & free floating rage, exagerated by the jail-like environment of many forensic units, pose a situation where the self or staff become targets for the release of aggression. 38 refs. (NBB)