The contributing factors to suicide in Italian prisons: An 11-year analysis 2010–2020

Abstract Background: Suicide is a leading cause of death globally, with approximately 800,000 deaths annually and accounting for 1.5% of all deaths. Risk factors are multifaceted, encom passing individual factors (such as genetics, family history and mental illnesses) and environmental factors (such as economic conditions, social support and life events). In pris ons, suicide rates are markedly higher than in the general population, particularly in Italy, where the prisoner suicide rate is approximately 20 times that of the non-incarcerated population. There is, however, little research on suicide in Italian prisons.Aims: To analyse the characteristics of all people who died by suicide in Italian prisons between 2010 and 2020.Methods: We carried out a records-based cohort study analysing official data from the Italian Ministry of Justice on prison suicides between 2010 and 2020. The data were cross-referenced and, when required, supplemented with information from Ristretti Orizzonti, a journal specialising in health and living conditions in prisons, as well as from the website of ISTAT (Italian National Statistical Institute), news papers, radio broadcasts and news agencies.Results: Factors associated with an increased risk of suicide in prisons were nighttime periods, the months of June,