Smith et al [12] conducted a meta-analysis in 1999 and reported that the overall percentage of the blood alcohol concentration was significantly higher in suicide cases. However, the magnitude of the suicide risk was not evaluated. Fazel et al [13] conducted a meta-analysis to examine the risk factors associated with suicide in prisoners. They reported that risk of completed suicide increases 3-fold in prisoners with a history of alcohol use. This effect estimate is greater than our estimate. This inconsistency between the results is acceptable because, several studies have indicated that suicide rates in prisoners are 5 to 10 times higher than the general population [60,61].
