45. Mr. HincliffeTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to reduce the number of suicides in Her Majesty's prisons.
§ 65. Mr. MaclennanTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the adequacy of the prison service suicide prevention procedures.
§ Mr. Douglas HoggThe prison service's strategy for the prevention of inmate suicides has two main elements: to identify inmates who may be at risk of suicide, by means of constant staff vigilance, particularly when the inmate is first received into custody; and to prevent such inmates from actually killing themselves, both by reducing the physical opportunities for suicide in prison and by offering medical and social support to the suicidal inmate. Initiatives such as enhanced staff training in suicide prevention awareness, better cell design, and work on the development of CCTV for the monitoring of suicidal inmates, all contribute to this strategy. While we do not expect to alter the main thrust of our strategy, we are considering in the light of recent experience whether any modifications to our procedures may be helpful.