The issue of suicide has always been a very sensitive and important problem, that raises many questions in the society where it occurs, that is not always able to oppose an adequate response. Every scientist in the field agrees that this is an act provoked by multifaceted reasons, which include cultural, social and biographical motives. Therefore, this topic also poses ethical and civil problems, as well as epistemologic and research methodology issues, because of its complexity as a subject of study. The authors propose a case-by-case contribution, evaluating the judicial acts on 73 suicides made available by the Bari Public Prosecutor's Office for the years 2014-2016. The authors believe collected and systematized data, and the ensuing considerations, can offer a contribution to the debate in the field of legal and socio-healthcare actors, who are often the first to deal with and confront this complex and tragic phenomenon.
Keywords: Judicial inquiry; Legal medicine assessment; Risk and protection factors; Suicide.