Prison Suicide Review
This review of suicide in prisons builds on the views and experiences of people with lived experience of the criminal justice system. It explores the reasons why suicides occur in prison and recommends actions to support the mental health of prisoners and reduce the occurrence of suicide.
The review was carried out as part of a review of the implementation of the Prisons & Probation Ombudsman (PPO)’s recommendations into self-inflicted deaths in custody. People with lived experience describe how little is done to identify and provide mental health support before people are sentenced. They view mental health support in prison as being inadequate overall, and identify numerous factors as having a negative impact on wellbeing in prison.
The review makes several recommendations for reducing the risk of self-harm and suicide in prison. These include:
• providing prison staff with further training
• involving individuals with lived experience of the criminal justice system in providing support
• intervening earlier to identify mental ill-health and provide support
• making it easier for prisoners to obtain medication and/or therapeutic support.
