Suicide pact

Suicide
Social aspects Benevolent suicide Copycat Epidemic Euthanasia Legislation Philosophy Religious views Right to die
Suicide crisis Assessment of risk Crisis hotline (list) Intervention Prevention Suicide watch
Suicide types Assisted Bullying and suicide Copycat Familicide Forced Honor Internet Mass Murder–suicide Pact Parasuicide Suicide attack
Epidemiology Among LGBT youth Gender differences Suicide rates
History List of suicides Suicide in antiquity List of suicides in the 21st century
In warfare Banzai charge Kamikaze Suicide attack Suicide mission
Related phenomena Failed suicide attempt Locations Ideation Self-harm Suicide note
By country Bangladesh Canada China France Greenland India Japan Lithuania Pakistan Russia South Korea Ukraine United Kingdom United States
Rates List of countries by suicide rate List of OECD countries by suicide rate Gender differences in suicide

A suicide pact is an agreed plan between two or more individuals to commit suicide. The plan may be to die together, or separately and closely timed. Suicide pacts are important concepts in the study of suicide, and have occurred throughout history, as well as in fiction.

Suicide pacts are generally distinct from mass suicide. The latter refers to incidents in which a larger number of people kill themselves together for the same ideological reason, often within a religious, political, military or paramilitary context. Suicide pacts, on the other hand, usually involve small groups of people (such as married or romantic partners, family members, or friends) whose motivations are typically non-ideological.

A suicide pact negotiated over the internet, often between complete strangers, is an Internet suicide.

In England and Wales, suicide pact is a partial defence, under section 4 of the Homicide Act 1957, which reduces murder to manslaughter. In Northern Ireland, this defence is created by section 14 of the Criminal Justice Act (Northern Ireland) 1966 (c. 20) (N.I.).

See also

• "The Constitution is not a suicide pact," a recurring concept in American jurisprudence
• Suicide prevention contract, the opposite of a suicide pact.
• Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold
• The Virgin Suicides

References

• "UK records first online suicide pact", The Age, September 30, 2005
• "Brad Delp: Details Emerge About His Tragic Suicide", Guitar World, April 27, 2007