A total of 26 subjects were found to have committed one or more episodes of DSH, defined as "injurious acts upon one's own body without the apparent intent to kill." The methods used in DSH were wounds (n=17), ingestion of a foreign liquid (n=1), intake of a foreign body (n=4), overdose (n=1), and a combination of types (n=3). No subject in the study presented self-mutilation behavior. The DSH sample was compared with 81 inmates who were in the penitentiary center with no DSH episode. In both groups, subjects who had been admitted to the psychiatric department were excluded from the study. The instruments used to measure various variables were a standard protocol and a self-report questionnaire (MCMI-II). Although the DSH group and the control group were homogeneous and similar in terms of various psychosocial variables, inmates with DSH had a background of significant maltreatment. The young inmates with DSH episodes had more clinical symptomatology on the scales that measured anxiety, somatoform, dysthymia, alcohol dependence, thought disorder, and major depression. The DSH inmates had a greater prevalence of personality disorders. Schizoid, avoidant, dependent, passive-aggressive, self-defeating, schizotypal, and borderline personality significantly differentiated both groups. These findings replicate those of other studies with hospital samples. This study concludes that the detection of borderline, negativistic, and antisocial disorders may help the medical services of penitentiary centers to predict youths with a risk of DSH. Future research should focus on longitudinal studies to help clarify other risk factors associated with and that may precipitate self-harm behavior. 4 tables and 24 references