Pain is temporary: Discourse analysis of inmates’ accounts of suicide

Abstract

There have been abundant empirical studies identifying risk factors associated with inmate suicide. However, little attention has been turned to the voices of inmates who have experienced suicide. This article, based on semi-structured interviews with 14 incarcerated adults who have committed suicide and survived in prisons in Zhejiang Province, China, tries to explore how suicide is presented, constructed and oriented to in interaction. Implications for future research and suicide intervention are also discussed.