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A long, long time ago, (last week) I got a call from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police informing me that there was a warrant out for my arrest due to an unpaid speeding ticket. I went to the local police station, intending to pay the fine. A friendly female officer checked her computer and said, “Follow me.”
We went through a set of heavy steel doors and descended two flights of stairs. There, another officer instructed me to remove my boots, belt, and jacket, empty my pockets, and place my hands on my head. I was handcuffed and led to a holding cell, where I remained for about an hour, but it felt more like six weeks. I was convinced my dog Jilly, waiting in the truck, would be dead by the time I got out.
Eventually, the door opened, and I was taken back upstairs to a desk. I was handed a promise to appear before a magistrate, along with the option to pay the ticket, which I later did.
What I'm trying to say is: they’ll never take me alive!
If given the choice, I’d rather be a statistic than do time.
That one hour nearly did me in.
How did this woman handle life behind bars? She is tougher than me!
Here’s how suicide risk breaks down between those presumed innocent (pretrial detainees) and those already convicted within jails and prisons:
U.S. Jail (Local Jails)
Suicide is the leading cause of death, making up roughly one-third of all deaths in U.S. jails
In 2006, the national jail suicide rate was about 36 per 100,000 inmates, approximately 3× higher than the general population
Up to 77% of jail suicides involve pretrial detainees, those not yet convicted
Lawsuits over jail suicides show that about 80% were pretrial .
The first 48 hours to 30 days are the riskiest: half of all jail suicides occur in that window
International Data (Europe)
Pretrial detainees in Europe face about 17.5 suicides per 10,000 (175 per 100k).
Convicted prisoners face about 8.5 per 10,000 (85 per 100k) meaning pretrial risk is roughly 2× higher
Summary Table
Pretrial detainees (US jails) 77% of jail suicides
Overall jail population (US) 36 per 100,000
Pretrial detainees, who are legally presumed innocent, are disproportionately represented in jail suicides, often accounting for around 75–80%.
Suicide occurs at significantly higher rates just after booking, especially within the first week or month.
The suicide rate among jails, particularly for pretrial individuals, is markedly higher than among convicted prisoners or the general population, both in the U.S.
Final Summary
It's sadly very common for suicides behind bars to involve individuals who haven’t been convicted, often amid the extreme stress of early incarceration. In the U.S., about three-quarters of jail suicides are among pretrial detainees. In Europe, the pretrial suicide rate is about twice the rate among convicted prisoners. Prevention efforts need to focus heavily on this especially vulnerable group.
