Year: 2021 Source: Archives of Suicide Research. (2021). 25(3), 704-714. https://doi.org/10.1080/13811118.2020.1746943 SIEC No: 20210743

Objective
To compare suicide rates of people in prison and the general population in the Nordic countries.
Methods
Data on deaths by suicide and person-years for people in prison and the general population were obtained for the Nordic countries during 2000–2016. Age-standardized rate ratios were calculated.
Results
The suicide rate in the Nordic countries overall was 110.1 (95% CI = 98.1, 122.2) per 100,000 person-years for people in prison. A significant decline was noted for the suicide rate of people in prison between 2000 and 2016 (p < 0.0001). The age-standardized mortality ratio was 7.4 (95% CI = 5.9–8.2) for males and 17.8 (95% CI = 7.3–33.2) for females in Denmark, Iceland, and Norway.
Conclusion
Despite a decreasing trend over time, excess suicide mortality was noted for people in prison.