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Suicides in prisons

01 January 1991

Suicides in prisons
artdoc May=1991
House of Commons written answer 13.11.89 Cols.14-5

Mr. Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for the
Home Department how many Suicides there have been in (a) all
United Kingdom prisons and (b) Swansea prison in each of the
last 10 years; how many were prisoners on remand; and how many
were prisoners under the age of 21 years.

Mr. Mellor: The table gives the figures for inmates held
in prison establishments in England and Wales in each year
since 1980.

Year Total Suicides by Suicides by
suicides(I) remand inmates under
inmates (I) the age of 21(I)

1980 21 12 2
1981 16 7 1
1982 17 8 4
1983 21 9 2
1984 23 12 2
1985 23 14 1
1986 17 12 3
1987 42 27 7
1988 30 19 7
1989 21(2) 1(2)9(2) 2(2)

1 The table gives the number of deaths for which suicide
verdicts were returned at the inquest.
2 Inquests have yet to be held on 14 other inmates who have
died in 1989 and whose deaths arc thought to have been suicides.
Of these 11 were on remand and six were under the age of 21.

Suicide verdicts have been returned on two inmates who died
at Swansea prison during the same period, one in 1984 and one in
1988. Both were remand inmates. The inmate who died in 1984
was under the age of 21. An inquest has yet to be held on an 18
year-old remand inmate who died at Swansea prison on 4 November
1989.
Deaths of inmates in custody in Scotland and Northern
Ireland arc matters for my right hon. Friends the Secretaries
of State for Scotland and for Northern Ireland.