Women's Prisons

HC Deb 07 March 2003 vol 400 cc1302-5W

Mr. Webb

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many cases of(a) suicide and (b) other self-harm there were in women's prisons in each of the last 24 months (i) in total and (ii) in each institution; and if he will make a statement. [101378]

Hilary Benn

[holding answer 6 March 2003]: The information requested is in the following tables. Since 1 January 2001, there have been 20 self-inflicted deaths of female prisoners (all those deaths where it appears the person may have acted specifically to take her own life).

Self-inflicted deaths in female establishments: January 2001 to February 2003.
	2001		2002		2003
	April	Aug	Nov	Jan	Apr	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Jan	Feb	Total
Brockhill		1								1		2
Bullwood Hall	1										1	2
Durham								1		1			1	3
Eastwood Park			1		1					1		3
Highpoint (Women)							1					1
Holloway	1					1						2
New Hall				2							1	3
Styal	1					1			1	1		4
Total	3	1	1	2	1	3	1	1	1	3	3	20

Self-harm in female establishments: January 2001 to December 2002.
	2001
	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Askham Grange	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Brockhill	3	6	6	11	6	10	6	23	12	11	20	19
Bullwood Hall	1	1		2	1			4
Cookham Wood			1	3	3		3	4	5	2	1	4
Drake Hall
Downview
Durham
Eastwood Park	7	15	10	36	12	28	25	8	8	7	43	14
Foston Hall	2			1
Highpoint (Women)	12	10	6	18	38	25	23	11	15	20	17	21
Holloway	24	18	10	20	53	36	17	34	52	70	54	155
Low Newton	1		7	11	14	8	9	11	10	11	12	14
New Hall	23	22	27	27	18	41	32	40	25	20	32	21
Send	1	1		4		1	1	4		2	1	2
Styal	1	1	6	2	16	12	40	17	28	13	5	14
Buckley Hall
Winchester
Total	75	74	73	134	162	161	156	156	155	156	185	264

	Jan	Feb	March	April	May	June	July	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Total
Askham Grange								1				0	1
Brockhill	15	17	41	46	39	23	18	24	9	18	37	88	420
Bullwood Hall						1		1				0	11
Cookham Wood	7	14	4	3	18	10	15	1	5	6	12	4	121
Drake Hall		1			1	1	8	3	5	5	2	4	26
Downview												18	18
Durham												10	10
Eastwood Park	24	17	27	21	29	25	19	44	16	33	70	14	538
Foston Hall	11	13	16	6	12	16	15	6	9	2	2	15	111
Highpoint (Women)	19	7	10	13	18		8	16	18	26	13	14	364
Holloway	111	43	91	45	67	23	47	72	82	70	66	47	1,260
Low Newton	13	11	13	14	34	36	36	33	33	27	31	6	389
New Hall	41	20	20	21	32	19	39	25	26	22	41	42	634
Send	5	2	2	5	2			3	2	1	3	8	42
Styal	9	6	3	2	2	14	37	18	5	5	2	26	258
Buckley Hall							23	31	25	24	35	35	138
Winchester												3	3
Total	255	151	227	176	254	168	265	278	235	239	314	334	4,344

The prison population, including the female estate, contains a large number of prisoners with a combination of psychiatric disorders, alcohol and drug dependency, family background and relationship problems, histories of self-harm and previous abuse, all of which raise their risk of suicide and self-harm. Good care and support from staff saves many lives but such instances go largely

The available data on "self-harm" incidents includes both attempted suicides and self-harm (without suicidal intent) as it is difficult to measure suicidal intent.

unreported. The Prison Service's approach, in close partnership with other agencies such as the Youth Justice Board, and outside organisations such as Samaritans, is to better identify and support those who seem at greatest risk, with an approach that focuses on staff/prisoner relationships and the physical environment.

The Prison Service has a duty of care to all prisoners in its custody, and recognises that self-harm is a particular problem amongst women offenders. 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.

The Prison Service's suicide prevention and self-harm reduction programme (which applies to all prisoners, regardless of gender and age) includes a series of projects to improve pre-reception, reception and induction arrangements; the exchange of information; the care of prisoners; detoxification; prisoners supporting each other, and learning from investigations into deaths in custody.