The growth rates spectrum of the ideal pressure‐driven localized modes in a general screw pinch configuration is obtained in an explicit analytical form under the condition of the Suydam criterion violation. The suppression effect of the magnetic shear near the singular surface is exponential and strongly depends upon relative values of two small parameters:&mgr; = m/((krs)2+m2)and&Vegr; = (P'−P's)/P's, whereP'sis the Suydam marginally stable pressure gradient.