Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 17 February 2015
293. Deputy Brian Walsh asked the Minister for Justice and Equality the number of deaths that have occurred in prisons here in the past ten years; and the number of these deaths that are considered to have been suicide. [6659/15]
View answerSince 2005 there have been 86 deaths in custody in prisons.
|
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
2012 |
2013 |
2014 |
|
9 |
12 |
7 |
11 |
10 |
11 |
6 |
5 |
7 |
8 |
Of the 86 deaths since 2005, 15 have been determined as death by suicide.
Since 1 January, 2012, the death of any prisoner in custody or on temporary release is the subject of an independent investigation by the Inspector of Prisons. The Office of the Inspector is a statutory independent office established under the Prisons Act, 2007.
The Inspector's investigation and reports are part of a three pronged process, the other elements being investigations by An Garda Síochána, and investigations and inquests conducted by Coroners.
I can advise the Deputy that the circumstances of each death in custody and incident of self-harm are also examined by a Local Suicide Prevention Group in each institution. The groups are chaired by the Governors and include representatives from the various services: Doctor, Psychiatrist, Psychologist, Chaplain, Probation, Education and Prison staff. They are required to meet quarterly or more often if necessary. Their examinations cover fully the background and circumstances of each death. Their objective is to identify, where possible, measures which might be implemented to contribute to a reduction in the risk of deaths in the future.
In addition, the Irish Prison Service National Suicide and Harm Prevention Steering Group provides a forum for collating the reports of the Local Suicide Prevention Groups, considering reports on death in custody from the Inspector of Prisons and disseminating key findings throughout the prison system.
