Table 3 Circumstances of the suicidal act (n = 235)

Time interval from arrival to the suicidal act

  < 1 week

28

11.9

 1 week to 1 month

20

8.5

 1 to 6 months

74

31.5

 6 to 12 months

34

14.5

 1 to 5 years

61

26

  ≥ 5 years

18

7.7

Increased monitoring

 Yes

127

54.0

 No

93

39.6

 Missing

15

6.4

Location

 Common single cell

81

34.5

 Common shared cell

55

23.4

 Arrival section

40

17

 Punishment block

32

13.6

 Non-disciplinary solitary confinement

6

2.6

 Psychiatric health unit in prison

7

3

 Hospital (outside prison)

13

5.5

 Private home (permission)

1

0.4

Method

 Hanging/Self-strangulation

214

91.1

 Self-poisoning/Overdose

9

3.8

 Suffocation^a

6

2.6

 Cutting

5

2.1

 Fire

1

0.4

Time of discovery

 3 a.m.—9 a.m

67

28.5

 9 a.m.—3 p.m

53

22.6

 3 p.m.—9 p.m

73

31.1

 9 p.m.—3 a.m

41

17.4

 Missing

1

0.4

Suicide note

 Yes

96

40.9

 No

118

50.2

 Missing

21

8.9

Time interval from suicidal act to death

 0 day

194

82.6

 1 to 3 days

24

10.2

 4 to 22 days

17

7.2