§ Jackie BallardTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many suicides of prisoners have occurred(a) in prisons and (b) while on escort from prisons; and if he will indicate the company responsible for the escort at the time in each of the last five years. [106114]
§ Mr. BoatengThe information requested is given in the table.
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Year Total Number of self-inflicted deaths Number of self-inflicted deaths while on escort from prisons Contractor 1995 59 0 — 1996 64 1 Group 4 Court Services 1997 68 2 Securicor Custodial Services Premier Prison Services 1998 82 0 — 1999 91 5 Group 4 Court Services (×3) Securicor Custodial Services (×2) 20001 3 0 — 1 As at 19 January 1999 Notes:
1. The term employed by the Prison Service in England and Wales to refer to an apparent suicide is "self-inflicted death". This is broader than the term suicide and includes all those deaths where it is clear that the person has acted specifically to take his/her own life. It is not restricted to the official verdict from the Coroner's inquest, where verdicts of "suicide", "open" or "misadventure" may be recorded in cases where there was doubt about a person's intent to end their life.
2. Self-inflicted deaths while on escort from prisons are included in the overall annual figures shown in the table.