The associations between suicide attempts, bullying, & the familial, educational, legal, & institutional characteristics of young offenders in custody were examined. The sample was 152 randomly selected males, aged 16-21 years, who completed structured personal interviews. Rates of reported suicide attempts were significantly higher in the population of young offenders than reported rates from general population samples. Being in residential care, the presence of a social worker for the family, family history of alcohol abuse, family history of suicide attempts, the experience of being bullied in custody, contact with a psychologist in the community, & being a violent offender were significantly related to increased risk of suicide attempts in custody. (19 refs.)