Vulnerable prisoners could have free phone access, as over 100 took their own lives while in UK prisons

Self-harm and suicide in prisons saw a shocking rise and the UK Government must bring forward legislation to address the issue, a Joint Committee on Human Rights report notes. The sharpest increase was seen in the number of self-inflicted deaths anongst woman prisoners.

The report shows the number of self-inflicted deaths in prison has risen steadily from 58 in 2010 to 119 in 2016, the highest number since records began in 1978. According to the Joint Committee on Human Rights, there has been a particularly sharp increase in the number of self-inflicted deaths in the female estate, up from five in 2015 to 12 in 2016, the highest on record since 2003.

In his Annual Report 2015–16, Peter Clarke, the Chief Inspector of Prisons, described the rise in self-harm and suicide in prisons as “shocking”, with the death toll predicted to continue to rise in view of the “unacceptably violent and dangerous places” that prisons have become.

“The introduction of legislation would do something that should have been done a long time ago, but that is now urgent, which is to end the death toll of people with mental health conditions who take their own lives in our prisons. When the state takes someone into custody, we have a duty to keep them safe—their life becomes our responsibility—yet prisons are not a place of safety. Last year, 12 women and 107 men took their own lives while in prison in the custody of the state. Every single one of these deaths is an absolute tragedy for each individual and their family. There is no point in having more reviews, new policies or new guidance; we must make sure that the changes we all know are needed actually happen in practice. For that to happen, we need a legal framework to be introduced in the next Parliament that will ensure that the necessary changes take place because they are required by statute,” the Chair of the Committee, Rt Hon Harriet Harman MP, said.

According to the Joint Committee on Human Rights, a series of changes need to be made to legislation in order to solve the issue of self-harm and suicide in prisons. The list includes provision in the the Prison Rules to enable young offenders, and prisoners with mental health conditions which place them at risk of suicide, to make free phone calls to a designated family member or friend. Also, the report notes that there should be a legal requirement to ensure that young prisoners and those with mental health conditions have access to a key worker and that any new legislation should also make explicit that one of the purposes of prison is to treat prisoners with humanity, fairness and respect for their dignity.

Las year the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, Rt Hon Liz Truss MP, published a White Paper on prison safety and reform, and announced immediate measures intended to improve prison safety. The UK Government also announced the recruitment of 2,500 additional prison officers, and that every offender will have a dedicated prison officer offering regular one-to-one support. It also promised robust action to tackle emerging threats to safety in prison, in particular psychoactive substances, mobile phones and the use of drones to smuggle things into prisons.