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Table 1 Sociodemographic and penal characteristics of suicide cases (n = 235)

From: Characteristics of persons who died by suicide in prison in France: 2017–2018

 

n

%

Male gender

223

94.9

Age at the time of suicide (years)

  < 18

1

0.4

 18–29

63

26.8

 30–39

59

25.1

 40–49

65

27.7

 50–59

33

14.0

  ≥ 60

14

6.0

French nationality

192

81.7

Education

 None or primary school

10

4.3

 College

92

39.1

 High school

66

28.1

 University studies

18

7.7

 Missing

49

20.8

Employment before prison

 Employed

93

39.6

 Unemployed

121

51.5

 Retired

3

1.3

 Missing

18

7.6

Marital status

 Single

109

46.4

 Lives with a partner (including married)

95

40.4

 Divorced

24

10.2

 Widow(er)

5

2.1

 Missing

2

0.9

Children

 0

88

37.4

  ≥ 1

136

57.9

 Missing

11

4.7

 Remand status when entering prison

216

91.9

 Remand status at the time of suicide

114

48.5

Main offence

 Homicide

53

22.6

 Sexual offence

53

22.6

 Assault

46

19.6

 Burglary or theft offence

41

17.4

 Drug-related offence

16

6.8

 Other

26

11.1

 First incarceration

115

48.9

Contact with relatives in prison

 Visiting rooms

92

39.1

 Paper mail and/or telephone

31

13.2

 None, first week of incarceration

30

12.8

 None, incarcerated for more than a week

71

30.2

 Semi-open facility

4

1.7

 Missing

7

3.0

Detection of a high risk of suicide while in prison

 Yes

60

25.5

 No

137

58.3

 Missing

38

16.2