Esophageal Foreign Body in a Prison Inmate: Genuine Suicide Attempt or Pursuit of Illness for Secondary Gain?

This article discusses the increasing rates of death by suicide in prisons during the last decades. Studies conducted in many countries have shown that suicides are the most common cause of death among prisoners & that suicide risk among prisoners is higher than among the general population. The precise rate of suicide in United States jails is controversial, estimates range from 47-114 per 100000, which is 9-14 times higher than the rate in the general population. (LC) (11 refs)