Norwegian cohort identifies elevated suicide risk after prison release

A 23-year national cohort study in Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica examined suicide mortality after release from Norwegian prisons. Researchers linked the Norwegian Prison Release Study, covering all people imprisoned in Norway during 2000–2022, to national mortality, prison, patient and demographic registries. Outcomes included suicide mortality rates, standardized mortality ratios and factors associated with suicide after release.

There were 1,183 suicides after release, accounting for 9.1% of all deaths; 90% occurred in men. The crude suicide mortality rate was 81 per 100,000 person-years (95% CI 76–85). Relative to the general population, standardized mortality ratios were 8.64 in women (95% CI 7.17–10.34) and 3.98 in men (95% CI 3.76–4.22).

Multivariable analyses for 2009–2022 included 57,034 people and 516 suicides. Associations with suicide at six months post-release included prior self-harm (adjusted hazard ratio 4.76; 95% CI 2.60–8.72), severe mental illness (1.95; 1.16–3.27), release from high-security prisons (1.93; 1.12–3.33) and pretrial detention (1.82; 1.06–3.13).

The authors report that risk peaked immediately after release and remained elevated relative to the general population. These findings identify the transition from prison as an important period for suicide prevention, particularly for people with prior self-harm or severe mental illness. The observational design cannot establish causality or intervention effectiveness; only the abstract was available for this update.