Gay Mitchell
Ceist:110 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice the current position regarding the implementation of the recommendations of the group which examined the question of suicides in prison.
Written Answers. - Prison Suicide Statistics.
Gay Mitchell
Ceist:111 Mr. G. Mitchell asked the Minister for Justice the number of suicides and attempted suicides in Irish prisons and places of detention in 1993; and if she will give comparative figures for the previous five years.
I propose to take Questions Nos. 110 and 111 together. The report of the advisory group on prison deaths was published in August 1991. The recommendations of the group form the basis of a prevention strategy in the prisons. So far some 50 of the 57 recommendations have been implemented or are in the course of being implemented including:
—24 hour a day medical orderly cover in the closed institutions (at a cost of £500,000);
—an increase in the number of clinical psychologists — from three to six initially — including a female psychologist to cover the women's prison;
—installation of cell call systems with which distressed prisoners may summon help;
—introduction of a service by the Samaritans in all institutions and availability of cordless telephones to enable prisoners to contact the Samaritans on dedicated telephone lines;
—special training courses for prison staff;
—the establishment of a suicide prevention group in each institution to review suicide attempts, and ensure appropriate action is taken, at local level;
—training with resuscitation equipment;
—employment of a pharmacist;
—revision of the Rules for the Government of Prisons, 1947;
—improvements in GP services;
—provision of in-cell sanitation (a seven-year programme).
The remaining recommendations are more long term in nature, a fact which was acknowledged by the advisory group. They include the provision of a committal assessment centre and a new female prison. These recommendations will be implemented in the context of the overall development of the prison system.
I am satisfied that significant progress has been made in implementing the report and that all reasonable steps are being taken to prevent suicides in the prisons. As you will appreciate, however, given the complexity of the phenomenon, there is no guarantee that all suicides can be prevented. The group itself acknowledged as much when it said "if a person is sufficiently determined to commit suicide it is extremely difficult, if not impossible, to prevent him doing so". The group made the further point that "whereas many people who commit suicide in prison are or have been regarded as at risk, suicides occur among inmates in respect of whom there is no indication whatsover that they are at risk".
There were two deaths in custody in Irish prisons and places of detention in 1993. The comparative figures for deaths in custody for the previous five years are as follows:
|
Year |
Deaths in Custody |
|
1988 |
5 |
|
1989 |
5 |
|
1990 |
3 |
|
1991 |
5 |
|
1992 |
4 |
Not all these deaths were suicides — a proportion were drug overdoses which may well have been accidental and one death — in 1992 — was attributed to natural causes.
Statistics are not maintained in the prison system on suicide attempts. This is because many instances of self injury by prisoners occur which are difficult to distinguish from deliberate serious suicide attempts.
There is anecdotal evidence to show that there has been a decline in the number of serious suicide attempts by prisoners since the inception of the suicide prevention programme in 1991. To put the death in custody figures in context it should be noted that more than 6,000 prisoners go through the prison system every year.