Lord Actonasked Her Majesty's Government:
How many prisoners committed suicide in Styal women's prison in each year from 1993 to the present date. [HL2742]
§ The Minister of State, Home Office (Lord Falconer of Thoroton):There have been six apparently self-inflicted deaths at Styal prison between 1 January 1993 and 8 May 2003. The following table shows the years the deaths occured.
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Self-inflicted deaths at Styal prison since 1993 Number 2000 1 2001 1 2002 2 2003* 2 Total 6 * To 8 May 2003. The female estate contains a large number of prisoners with a combination of psychiatric disorders, alcohol and drug dependency, family background and relationship problems and histories of self-harm and previous abuse, all of which raise their risk of suicide and self-harm. This and the effects of a greater number of prisoners entering prison is probably why the numbers of self-inflicted deaths are rising among women.
The Prison Service's suicide and self-harm strategy applies across all types of prisons and prisoners with variations as necessary to reflect the circumstances of particular groups. Styal, along with Brockhill, Eastwood Park, Holloway and New Hall, is one of the five female establishments to have appointed a full-time suicide prevention co-ordinator.
The Prison Service is currently developing several interventions that may help female prisoners reduce and manage self-harm in prison. One such example is at Holloway prison, where all prisoners who have been identified as at risk of suicide/self-harm are offered individual crisis counselling. About 40 per cent of prisoners take up the offer, while others may be referred to alternative sources of help within the prison. Staff report that following counselling women have shown increases in self-esteem, decreases in depression and are less likely to see suicide or self-harm as the solution to their problems.