Warning as prison suicides ‘quadruple’ in three years

SUICIDES in Scottish prisons are believed to have quadrupled in the past three years, prompting calls for better provision of mental health support for a growing number of vulnerable prisoners.

Figures obtained by The Herald from the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) reveal the number of suicides behind bars rose to 12 in 2010/11 – the highest incidence in the past five years.

Labour last night seized on the figures, warning the current approach “isn’t working”.

Figures from Scotland’s 13 public and two private prisons show that in the last fiscal year there was one confirmed suicide and 11 apparent cases pending fatal accident inquiries. That compares with five – two confirmed and three apparent – a year before and three confirmed instances in 2008/09.

More than half of deaths across the Scottish prison estate in the past 12 months appear to have involved suicide, with seven cases in the country’s largest facility – Barlinnie in Glasgow – alone and one at a young offenders’ institute, Polmont, near Falkirk, in which a youth under 21 died.

News of an increase comes against a backdrop of mounting prisoner numbers heaping pressure on prison staff.

In his latest annual report, chief inspector of Scottish prisons Brigadier Hugh Munro warned overcrowding remains “an enduring problem for a number of establishments”.

Johann Lamont, Scottish Labour deputy leader, said: “Any trend which shows suicide increasing is concerning, but the jump this year shows the current approach isn’t working. We need a much more robust approach with better links between the prison service and the health service.

“Labour has already raised serious concerns about social work in prisons and the provision of mental health support in prisons is too limited. Ministers need to get to the bottom of this quickly so an effective prevention strategy is put in place.”

Campaigners urged for prison numbers to be reduced to ensure those at risk are not overlooked.

John Scott, chairman of the Howard League for Penal Reform in Scotland, said: “The staff in our prisons are well trained and could keep prisoners and society safer if they were not also having to wrestle daily with the many pernicious consequences of overcrowding.

“We know that a significant percentage of prisoners suffer from mental health problems, especially addiction issues. The number of prisoners being received and processed on a daily basis means that some who may self-harm may be missed.

“In its last term the Scottish Government started the essential job of reducing prison numbers. This work must continue with greater urgency. I hope that the other parties engage in this issue in a reasonable and rational manner, rather than merely parroting tired lines about being ‘tough on crime’.”

A spokesman for SPS said: “SPS has robust policies to ensure it provides the proper levels of care including for those that may be at risk of suicide.

“Our prisons are housing record numbers of prisoners many of whom display predisposing factors that may place them at risk of self harming behaviour.

“Every effort is made to assess and manage risks.”

A Scottish Government spokesman said: “Every suicide in prison is one too many. The SPS has invested significant funding in suicide prevention.”