§ Mr. George HowardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the rate of self-inflicted deaths which have occurred in(a) each prison, (b) each prison type and (c) the prison estate for each year since 1990. [13821]
§ Miss WiddecombeResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. George Howarth, dated 4 February 1997:
547WThe Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your question about the rate of self-inflicted deaths in prisons.The attached tables show the numbers of self-inflicted deaths that have occurred in each prison; in each type of prison, and totals for the prison estate for each year since 1990. It is not possible to display the information as a rate without incurring disproportionate costs.548W549W
Establishment Type 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Doncaster Male local 2 2 1 Dorchester Male local 1 1 2 Dover Young offender institution 1 Downview Category C 1 Durham Male local 3 1 2 1 1 Elmley Male local 1 1 Erlestoke Category C 2 Exeter Male local 4 1 2 1 Featherstone Category C 1 1 Feltham Male remand centre 2 2 1 Frankland Dispersal 1 Full Sutton Dispersal 2 1 1 1 Garth Category B 1 1 1 Gartree Category B 1 1 1 Glen Parva Young offender institution 1 1 1 2 1 Gloucester Male local 1 1 Grendon Category B 1 2 2 1 Haverigg Category C 1 1 Highdown Male local 1 1 4 2 Highpoint Category C 1 Hindley Male remand centre 3 1 1 1 Holloway Female local 1 1 2 1 Holme House Male local 2 1 Hull Male local 1 2 1 2 1 2 Kirkham Male open 1 Leeds Male local 1 2 2 2 1 1 1 Leicester Male local 1 3 3 1 1 Lewes Male local 2 1 1 1 1 Lincoln Male local 1 3 1 2 2 Lindholme Category C 1 1 Littlehey Category C 1 Liverpool Male local 4 3 1 2 5 1 3 Long Lartin Dispersal 1 1 1 1 1 2 Low Newton Male remand centre 2 2 Maidstone Category B 1 1 Manchester Male local 3 2 2 2 4 Moorland Category C 3 The Mount Category C 1 1 1 New Hall Female local 1 Norwich Male local 2 2 2 4 1 Nottingham Category B 1 1 1 1 Oxford Category C 1 1 Parkhurst Category B 1 1 1 1 2 1 Pentonville Male local 2 1 4 2 2 Portland Young offender inst. 1 1 1 Preston Male local 1 1 1 2 Risley Category C 1 1 1 Rochester Male local 1 Shepton Mallet Category C 1 Shrewsbury Male local 1 1 Stafford Category C 1 1 Stocken Category C 1 Stoke Health Young offender institution 1 1 Styal Female closed 1 Swaleside Category B 1 1 Swansea Male local 2 1 1 Swinfen Hall Young offender institution 2 1 Usk Category C 1 The Verne Category C 1 1 Wakefield Dispersal 2 1 1 3 1 1 Wandsworth Male local 1 1 2 4 1 Wellingborough Category C 1 Wetherby Young offender institution 1 Whatton Category C 1 Whitemoor Dispersal 1 Winchester Male local 2 1 1 1 2 Wolds Male local 1 1 1 Woodhill Male local 1 1 Wormwood Scrubs Male local 1 1 1 4 1 PECS (prison escort court n/a custody service) 1 Totals 50 42 41 47 62 60 64 16 1 1997 total up to 30 January 1997.
Type of establishment 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 Male local 35 24 22 34 40 35 41 — Dispersal 2 4 2 5 2 5 3 — Male remand centre 3 2 4 1 3 2 2 1 Category B 3 5 4 3 10 5 5 1 Category C 5 5 5 2 5 8 5 1 Female local — — 1 1 1 2 1 — Young offenders institution 2 2 2 1 1 3 5 3 Male open — — — — — — 1 — Female closed — — 1 — — — — — PECS. (Prison escort court custody service) — — — — — — 1 — Several establishments have changed their roles during the time period specified.
Self-inflicted deaths in custody Totals 1990 50 1991 42 1992 41 1993 47 1994 62 1995 60 1996 64 19971 6 1 1997 total up to 30 January 1997.
§ Mr. CousinsTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides occurred in Her Majesty's prisons in the last three complete years and in the half year to October 1996; and if he will express these figures as a rate per head of the population. [11615]
§ Miss Widdecombe[holding answer 21 January 1997]: Responsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Director General of the Prison Service, who has been asked to arrange for a reply to be given.
Letter from Richard Tilt to Mr. Jim Cousins, dated 4 February 1997:
The Home Secretary has asked me to reply to your Question about the number of suicides at prison establishments in the last three complete years, and in the half year to October 1996.The figures on self-inflicted deaths are given below. Self inflicted deaths do not necessarily conclude with a verdict of suicide.
Financial year Number of self-inflicted deaths Average prison population Rate of self-inflicted deaths per 100,000 prisoners 1993–94 47 45,827 103 1994–95 65 49,308 132 1995–96 60 51,614 116 During the first six months (April to September) of the financial year 1996–97 there were 36 self-inflicted deaths. Based on current population projections for 1996–97 this represents a rate of 127 self-inflicted deaths per 100,000 prisoners.