4 ms·

Is it quite rare though? It would be good to see some figures on that. It could also be sampling bias playing a part. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_bi

by djt 14y ago

Is it quite rare though? It would be good to see some figures on that. It could also be sampling bias playing a part. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_bias http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sampling_bias

downandout 14y ago
Two does not necessarily make a trend, to be sure. However, if the odds are 1 in 10,000, a small number of incidents quickly become a significant indicator that the way this guy handles cases dramatically increases the likelihood of suicide. I don't know if any reports have been done on the subject that would be relevant here (specific to federal defendants, as they generally are looking at more time and are more likely to be experiencing jail for the first time than state defendants). However, anectdotally, I know a fair number of criminal defense attorneys, and they all say that it's actually quite rare. It seems that most defense attorneys have never had a criminal client commit suicide.
- Fjolle 14y ago
  You assume way too much. I highly doubt that federal defendants are 10 times less likely to commit suicide than the general population in USA. For me personally two is still waaay to low for it to be considered anything but a fluke.
  - cecilpl 14y ago
    The general population suicide rate is about 1 in 10,000, which is what the GP quoted. What's your source for saying it's 1 in 1000?
    - Fjolle 14y ago
      I apparently read his post as 1/100.000.
- djt 14y ago
  Two is a pretty low sample for it to be statistically significant. Anecdotaly, a friend of mine committed suicide and I later found out he was going to jail for robbery.
  - downandout 14y ago
    As I said in the original comment, it could just be a coincidence. However, if the bodies continue to pile up over the years (or more likely, that there are far more suicides already on the guy's resume that we simply haven't heard about), that will become less and less likely.
  - Cushman 14y ago
    Two is not a sample size. The sample size here is the number of defendants prosecuted. Two events can be very significant if the prior probability of the event is very low.

by djt 14y ago

downandout 14y ago

Two does not necessarily make a trend, to be sure. However, if the odds are 1 in 10,000, a small number of incidents quickly become a significant indicator that the way this guy handles cases dramatically increases the likelihood of suicide. I don't know if any reports have been done on the subject that would be relevant here (specific to federal defendants, as they generally are looking at more time and are more likely to be experiencing jail for the first time than state defendants). However, anectdotally, I know a fair number of criminal defense attorneys, and they all say that it's actually quite rare. It seems that most defense attorneys have never had a criminal client commit suicide.

Fjolle 14y ago
You assume way too much. I highly doubt that federal defendants are 10 times less likely to commit suicide than the general population in USA. For me personally two is still waaay to low for it to be considered anything but a fluke.
- cecilpl 14y ago
  The general population suicide rate is about 1 in 10,000, which is what the GP quoted. What's your source for saying it's 1 in 1000?
  - Fjolle 14y ago
    I apparently read his post as 1/100.000.
djt 14y ago
Two is a pretty low sample for it to be statistically significant. Anecdotaly, a friend of mine committed suicide and I later found out he was going to jail for robbery.
- downandout 14y ago
  As I said in the original comment, it could just be a coincidence. However, if the bodies continue to pile up over the years (or more likely, that there are far more suicides already on the guy's resume that we simply haven't heard about), that will become less and less likely.
- Cushman 14y ago
  Two is not a sample size. The sample size here is the number of defendants prosecuted. Two events can be very significant if the prior probability of the event is very low.