Suicide in probation: Towards the ideation-to-action model

Suicide in probation services is far higher than the general population. This paper presents secondary analysis of data previously used to evaluate the outcome of delivering psychological treatment to probationers in London. A sample of probation service users who screened positive for clinically significant symptoms of distress and were subsequently assessed and offered treatment (n = 274) were allocated retrospectively to one of three groups: those with a history of suicidal ideations but no suicide attempts (ideation group), those with a history of a suicidal act (attempt group) or a control group where suicide was not evident (no history group). Results indicate no significant difference between the ideation and the attempt groups, but significant differences between these and the no history group. The findings are discussed within the context of the suicide ideation-to-action models that have been debated in other offender settings. We conclude that a more nuanced understanding of suicidal acts and suicide attempts is required in probation services including a prospective study that tests the ideation-to-action model.