The most commonly witnessed self-injurious behaviors (SIBs) were inmate cutting, scratching, opening old wounds, and inserting objects. Findings from the study suggest that self-injury occurred regularly and that a subset of inmates were responsible for recurrent events. Mental health professionals perceived the motivation for inmate self-injury to be both manipulative and a coping mechanism. They described current management strategies and corresponding needs for training and resources. There is a growing professional interest in SIB among prison and jail inmates. However, research on SIB has focused almost exclusively on the phenomenology of the behavior, leaving the role of institutional and staff responses to this behavior largely unexplored. This study examined staff perceptions and institutional responses to SIB in correctional settings. Specifically, it examined perceptions of correctional mental health staff regarding the nature and prevalence of SIB among inmates perceived motivations of inmates who self-injure, strategies employed by staff in managing SIB in the institutions, and the impact of SIB on the institution and correctional mental health staff. Tables, figures, appendix, and references