EuropeWest AsiaWorld News

Data shows alarming rate of suicide, murder in UK jails

346854_UK-prison

Official figures show that the number of suicides and murders has reached its highest levels in British prisons.

Statistics gathered by the Prison Reform Trust (PRT) and released by the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) show that there were four alleged murders in prisons in England and Wales in 2013, the highest rate since 1998.

The figures also indicate that 70 deaths, apparently self-inflicted, were committed in British jails, the highest number since 2008.

Moreover, the suicide rate among male prisoners is rising year on year with five male prisons recording three self-inflicted deaths each. This is while the female prisoners self-harm and suicide attempts seem to have fallen due to safety measures introduced in 2007.

Independent charity organization Howard League for Penal Reform has blamed the sharp rise in suicide rates on the “toxic combination” of the government’s cuts to prison budgets and the overcrowded prisons in Britain.

A spokesperson for the charity said the government has reduced the prison budgets while the prison population is now “twice as large as it was 20 years ago.”

Frances Crook, the chief executive of the charity, also raised concern over the rising population in British prisons, saying almost all the deaths in custody were preventable.

“The responsibility for an increase in the number of people who take their own lives in prison lies squarely with those who advocate putting behind bars more and more people who do not need to be there,” Crook stated.

An inspection report of Lindholme HM Prison last summer was very critical of safety measures in place. The report found that more than a third of prisoners felt unsafe and that drugs and alcohol were freely available.

Many prisoners were also reported to have mental health problems, with 62 percent of male prisoners and 54 percent of female inmates being classed as having a personality disorder.

Back to top button