Prisoners: Suicide
(asked on 19th December 2016) - View Source
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she is taking to reduce the incidence of suicide in prisons.
This question was answered on 13th January 2017
The Government believes that prisons should be places of safety and reform. As part of this, reducing the incidence of suicide is a key priority. Our recent White Paper sets out the specific steps that we are taking to improve safety. They include investing over £100m to recruit an additional 2,500 staff across the estate by the end of 2018. The National Offender Management Service has launched a suicide and self-harm reduction project, led by an experienced prison governor, which is driving work in this area. This includes implementing the recommendations of a review of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, the multi-disciplinary case management process that is the main tool for managing prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm. Providing the right intervention and treatment is vital to improving the outcomes for people who are in distress, and all prisons have established procedures in place to identify, manage and support people at risk of suicide or self-harm. But we recognise that more can be done. That is why we have invested in specialist mental health training for prison officers and allocated more funding for prison safety. These improvements and reforms will benefit prisoners who are vulnerable, suffering from mental health problems or at risk of committing suicide.
The Government believes that prisons should be places of safety and reform. As part of this, reducing the incidence of suicide is a key priority. Our recent White Paper sets out the specific steps that we are taking to improve safety. They include investing over £100m to recruit an additional 2,500 staff across the estate by the end of 2018. The National Offender Management Service has launched a suicide and self-harm reduction project, led by an experienced prison governor, which is driving work in this area. This includes implementing the recommendations of a review of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process, the multi-disciplinary case management process that is the main tool for managing prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm. Providing the right intervention and treatment is vital to improving the outcomes for people who are in distress, and all prisons have established procedures in place to identify, manage and support people at risk of suicide or self-harm. But we recognise that more can be done. That is why we have invested in specialist mental health training for prison officers and allocated more funding for prison safety. These improvements and reforms will benefit prisoners who are vulnerable, suffering from mental health problems or at risk of committing suicide.