The role of loneliness in prison suicide prevention and management

Suicide in prisons has been seen as a public health concern reaching crisis proportions around the world. In this study, data from 60 inmates in a South Australian remand facility were used to examine the relationship between loneliness and known predictors of self-harm, such as depression and hopelessness. As predicted, the results suggested that prisoners who scored higher on a measure of loneliness reported higher levels of depression, hopelessness and indicators of suicidal behaviour. The implications of these findings for suicide management are discussed. It is concluded that whilst specialist mental health services are needed to treat problems such as depression, loneliness is something that may be managed by correctional staff with no professional experience or training.