Prisoners: Suicide

(asked on 4th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many (a) men and (b) women in prison have died by suicide in (i) January, (ii) February, (iii) March and (iv) April 2020.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 13th May 2020

The numbers of self-inflicted deaths in the first three months of 2020 are set out below. Figures for April 2020 are not available yet; they will be published on 30 July.

MenWomen
January 202060
February 202030
March 202040

These figures are provisional. Other deaths where we are awaiting further information may later be classified as self-inflicted.

Too many prisoners are taking their own lives. That is one of the reasons we introduced the key worker scheme in 2018, supported by the recruitment of extra prison officers, so that every offender can get dedicated support and have someone to talk to.

We have given over 25,000 staff better training to identify and support those at risk of suicide and self-harm, and we are improving the effectiveness of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork process to support those at risk. We are also investing an extra £2.75 billion to modernise prisons, combat drug use and improve the environment in which offenders live.

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