Ex-inmate in plea as suicide bids in Ulster prisons triple

Local & National

Wednesday, January 02, 2008

By Deborah McAleese

Suicide bids within Ulster's prisons almost tripled over the past year, the Belfast Telegraph can reveal today.

On average, throughout 2007 there were two suicide attempts a month by inmates.

In more than half of those cases the prisoner had not been identified as being a suicide risk and was therefore not under any observation by authorities.

One former remand prisoner, who was left in a coma after he hung himself with his shoe laces while suffering from depression, claimed that not enough help is available for vulnerable inmates and warned that it is only a matter of time before there is another death in custody.

However, the Northern Ireland Prison Service said it has a "robust" self-harm and suicide prevention policy and added that the "apparent" increase in suicide attempts was due to new recording methods for incidents of self-harm.

A total of 19 attempted suicides were recorded by the Northern Ireland Prison Service from the beginning of January to the end of October 2007, compared to seven for the whole of 2006.

In nine of the attempted suicide cases reported in 2007 the inmate was under some kind of observation amid fears of self-harming. The remaining 10 were not under any observation.

The information obtained by the Telegraph under the Freedom of Information Act also shows there was a rise in self-harm incidents from 84 in 2006 to 105 from January through to the end of October 2007.

The Northern Ireland Prison Service defended its self-harm and suicide prevention policy saying it ensures that supervisory procedures are carried out on prisoners who are deemed to be at risk of suicide or self-harm " at a level which is commensurate to their perceived risk".

A spokesman for the Prison Service added: "The apparent increase in the number of attempted suicides between 2006 and 2007 is as a result of applying a wider definition of what constitutes attempted suicide as opposed to self-harm.

"You will note that the increase in the attempted suicide figures is not reflected to the same extent in the increase in self-harm figures."

However, Belfast man John Armstrong, who almost died after he hung himself in his cell, only to be cut down by another prisoner, said drastic action needs to be taken by the authorities to provide appropriate care for vulnerable inmates.

When Mr Armstrong was remanded in custody for receiving stolen goods he was suffering from depression after his mother, father and brother died within months of each other. He said he told prison staff he was feeling suicidal but claims he was offered very little support.

"There is definitely not enough help available for vulnerable and suicidal inmates," he said.

"I know, because I was there and I was able to hang myself. I would have died if my cellmate had not found me and cut me down. I had told staff for months that I was feeling suicidal but I was not given the help I needed.

"When I was brought back to prison from hospital after I hung myself I was put in a cell on my own, in a straight jacket and without a television or radio, for my own protection. But how was that helping me? That made me feel worse.

"There are prisoners in there feeling suicidal like I was and more support and resources are needed before someone ends up dead."