Prison Suicides

      By Charles Hanson

Given the high incidence of prison suicides (over 1000 since 1988) the Prison Service claims that it continues to implement effective strategies to reduce both self-inflicted deaths and self harm, yet continues to fail the very people for whom they have a duty of care.

So much has been written and the literature is so abundant on policy in respect of the suicides of prisoners and preventative strategies, that the effectivness of any one measure seems to remain no more than wishful thinking.

All prisons now have the Samaritans, Listeners and Suicide Awareness Teams whilst specially trained inmates known as Buddies, Observation Aides or Carers are responsible to such named bodies as the Alternatives to Self-Harm Group and Self-Harm Co-ordinator who in turn are responsible to the Safer Custody Group or Suicide Prevention Round Table units at Prison Service Headquarters.

Involved in the policy and decision making process are psychologists, probation officers and health care staff. Yet in spite of prison suicide awareness policy and the input of various agencies, all the Prison Service is able to report in 2003 is that there has been an increase in prisoner suicides, With only twenty per cent of prisoner suicides having been identified as 'at risk'. It does seem that the other 80% of suicides comes as a surprise to the Prison Service.

My own experiences over 40 years in and out of fee prison system would certainly suggest that the suicides I have known have always taken everyone by surprise and have been spontaneous which no suicide policy can prevent

Moreover, the figures seem to show that prison regimes that lend themselves to the pettiness of rules and apathetic and vindictive staff who apply them, a sense of hopelessness and frustration, the lack of purpose and objectivity of individual prisons, the obsession with meeting targets and the business (Selfridges) like running of prisons which ignores individual inmate needs, provides the conditions that- is likely to give rise to high rates of suicides.

This might well be interpreted as a response to that inflicted by the Prison Service on its charges who will already be damaged individuals because of social-economic shortcomings.

The voluntary sector and prison reform bodies remain as observers seeking explanations for what might be considered an epidemic amongst prisoners, yet amongst young men 18-30 who are the greatest at risk, prison suicides of this group is consistent with the same age group of suicides in the community.

In prison the suicide rates between male and female prisoners have been consistent in the ratio of 96% of men to 4% of women, whilst for the under 21's the rates for young men has always been significantly even greater than that of of females, although the incidence of self-harm is significantly greater amongst females,

The one major factor resulting in prisoner suicides has been attributed to overcrowding, yet there is no evidence that links one with the other, given that whilst the prison population has increased, the rate of suicides have remained fairly consistent.

Moreover, when blaming overcrowding, this is not supported by the facts which shows that over 70% per cent of suicides occur in a single cell with over 60% being on normal location.

Staff shortages is claimed to be another contender for an increase in suicides but it would be impossible to predict the prisoner intent on taking his own life locked alone in his cell after the day staff have handed over the landings to night staff.

Is it perhaps the fact that the victims have fallen through the net?

That vulnerable inmates have failed to come to the attention of the authorities? This may seem likely given that only some 20% of suicides had been on an F2052 (Self-harm) at the time of their death and the history of them from previous self-harm behaviour, alcohol and drug abuse, psychiatric disorder and a host of other social factors that have identified them as being 'at risk' somehow suggests that prison staff have merely gone through the administrative motions without effecting any positive preventative measure.

These factors are recognised by outside mental health and welfare agencies as being triggers to suicide, and yet we have still not arrived at anything conclusive as to why young men decided to end their lives

The journal of the Royal College of Psychiatrists has over the years carried a number of articles and research papers relating to suicide both in prisons and the community and according to the College the biggest killer of of young men in the UK is now themselves.

Indeed, according to the College, the number of young men taking their own lives has risen by 72% since 1970, whilst the rates for women have remained constant.

Is it likely to be societal issues which have been overlooked?

That the increase in the suicide of young men is equally matched by alcohol and drug abuse, hedonistic pursuits and irresponsibility, delinquency and criminality along with the increased imprisonment of young men (and I do not of course discount the increased imprisonment of women) are the results of wider social-economic issues.

However, in focusing on young men as the significant group increase in suicidal behaviour, are there not also perhaps gender factors which have not been considered as attributable to self destructive behaviour?

Clearly men's roles in society have changed since the 1970's, but generally men have been slow to take up these new identities and are so often not given the recognition which they deserve.

In a marital breakdown, men are the ones who are most likely to lose out with only seven per cent being given sole responsibility of their children, whilst over ninety per cent of men will lose their home and are then be hounded by the Child Support Agency even though they may not be able to see their children. And yet men can become as obsessive as any female about children as soon as they becomes a father.

They will lose their home and their way of life as they knew it along with any sense of responsibility.

In the area of heath provisions, the system is systematically failing men where prostrate cancer is likely to strike six times as many victims as the most common form women's cancer. Yet, there exists no national screening facilities for men as there does for women.

In effect, men are seen becoming marginalised in many spheres of society where it would be assumed that fairness and equality exist but rarely practised.

The liberal elites have carved up society into a world that creates tensions amongst men and women rather than be seeing to draw people together and to even voice criticism will render us liable to be labelled as sexist

The do-gooder liberal follows in those footsteps

They want to make changes to the world and re-define gender roles to fit their agenda without changing the conditions which give rise to inequality. These 'champagne' liberals and socialists are beginning to dominate certain areas of prison life from their control of behaviour modification programmes to social policy and none more so than in the areas of prison reform which seems to be dominated almost exclusively by female liberals and do-gooders.

Within the criminal justice system, there does exist features of discrimination against men, especially so in the courts where defences available to women are simply not available to men, for example in capital cases where female defendants are able to advance medical arguments that are gender related, but even given that, defences such as provocation are seen as the defences of women and are rarely argued by men.

The media is always more sensitive and emotional over wrongly imprisoned women who are almost always supported by gender related campaign groups and certainly far more has been written about the need for female prisoners to be given alternative sentences to custody. There has also been a public awareness policy by certain prison reform bodies on the issue of female prisoner suicides which remains low, indeed very low when compared to the figures for male prisoner suicides.

My interest in these issues arose when my own son aged 23 committed suicide five days after I was sentenced to life imprisonment.

What I later discovered was that his anxieties and his need to 'get his head around' the whole tragedy leading up to my conviction for murder was disregarded, in fact ignored.

The warning signs were there, but as a young male his needs were considered to be less than other groups.

I now know that as a young man, the responses which he sought went unanswered which appears to be society's response to troubled young men everywhere

Charles Hanson

HMP Kingston, Friday 7th February 2003.

Charles Hanson 

VV 1638

HMP Kingston

Milton Road

Portsmouth

PO3 6AS