Death row inmates can waive their appeals and volunteer to accept their sentences. Utne reprints John Blume's account from Legal Affairs in the winter of 2005. Blume believes "death row volunteers are almost always suicidal":
Life on death row in America is a breeding ground for volunteerism. A sense of hopelessness, the loss of relationships, and social isolation are the most common factors leading to suicide among nonincarcerated people; these factors define life on death row. The profiles of a volunteer and of a person outside prison who commits suicide are strikingly similar. The overwhelming majority of volunteers and suicides are white males with a mental disorder (generally depression). Many also have a substance abuse disorder and a history of suicide attempts.
The Dish 