Investigated 442 unnatural deaths that occurred in prisons in England & Wales during 1972-87. 295 of these deaths were ruled suicides by a coroner & 52 were consciously self-inflicted (CSI) deaths. Certain significant differences emerged between suicides & CSI deaths, even though the methods & circumstances of death were the same in many cases. Possible explanations for why apparently similar deaths received different verdicts are suggested. (19 refs.)