The wonderful world of capitalism

Sharp increase in prison suicides The number of prisoners who killed themselves in jail rose significantly in 2007, according to official figures. The Ministry of Justice has confirmed there were 92 apparent self-inflicted deaths in England and Wales in the same year as a record prison population. The deaths do not represent a record - but are almost 40% higher than 2006, reversing two years of falls. According to the Ministry of Justice figures, the number of apparent suicides in jail rose from a low of 67 in 2006 and 78 in 2005. The record number in recent years has been 95 deaths in both 2004 and 2002. The vast majority, 84, were men and 41 remand prisoners made up the single largest group. Seven under-21 young offenders took their own lives. The youngest of these is thought to be a 15-year-old found hanged in November. There was a significant rise in the number of foreign prisoners apparently taking their own lives - 23 compared with six the year before. PRISON SUICIDES 1998 - 2007 1998: 82 1999: 91 2000: 81 2001: 73 2002: 95 2003: 94 2004: 95 2005: 78 2006: 67 2007: 92 Source: Ministry of Justice/Howard League for Penal Reform Four people on indeterminate sentences for public protection and 19 on life sentence were among the deaths. The figures show that, while 92 people killed themselves, more than 100 others were resuscitated after self-harm incidents that would have led to death. Useful info on suicide Introduction Suicide prevention strategies Suicide and gender Suicide in young people Suicide in older people Suicide and race Suicide and sexuality Suicide and substance misuse Suicide and mental distress Suicide following deliberate self-harm Suicide in prisons Suicide in rural areas Suicide and the media Attitudes towards suicide Attempted suicide Prediction of suicide risk The effect of suicide on others Further reading Useful contacts References