Vol. 575 No. 3
119 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform the rate of suicide amongst prisoners, as measured by the international observators of prisons; the trend in this matter since 1980; and the way in which the rate compares with other countries. [28069/03]
The number of suicides in Irish prisons and places of detention since 1980 indicate a rise in the number of deaths attributed to suicide from the late 1980s. The figures, as recorded by my Department, show that there was one suicide per annum in the years from 1980 to 1987, with the exception of 1985 when two prisoners took their own lives and 1984 when there were no suicides. The statistics from 1988 to 2002 indicate that, on average, between three and four prisoners died as a result of suicide in each year. The figures from 1988 to 2002 vary from one death in the years 1993, 1995, 1998, and 2001, to six in 1999. There have been two apparent self-inflicted prison deaths to date this year. A coroner's inquest has not yet been held in either of these two cases.
It should be noted that the average daily prison population has risen considerably over the period in question. The average daily prison population in 1980 was 1,215, which compares with an average of 2,108 in 1990 and 3,163 in 2002. The increases in the number of deaths in custody attributed to suicide since the late 1980s should also be viewed against the background of a reported increase in such deaths in the community. The latest Council of Europe annual penal statistics available to me were compiled for the year 2001. The rates of prison suicide varied throughout Europe from none to 47.5 per 10,000 prisoners. The rate in Ireland was 3.2 per 10,000 prisoners, which indicated that Ireland had one of the lowest rates of prison suicide in Europe at that time.
