Understanding the Impact of Suicide in Scottish Prisons

“Every suicide is a tragedy that has a far reaching impact on family, friends, and the community long after a person has died.” Michael Matheson, Minister for Public Health, Suicide Prevention Strategy 2013-2016.

 This quote is on every ‘Talk to Me’ casefile opened when someone in prison is at risk of suicide. This strategy, last revised in 2021, is embedded in every Scottish prison to ensure staff offer the best support to the people in their care at risk of suicide.

 When someone completes suicide in prison, the impact is just as far reaching as it is when it happens in wider society.

 Suicide is a significant risk for many prisoners - it is also a risk for staff. One of the many roles of a chaplain in a Scottish prison is to be vigilant in spotting any changes in behaviour of both staff and prisoners. Often a simple “hello” to someone will get a tearful response and sometimes it’s just in that moment they need a safe person to show those tears to. Of course, we have important processes and procedures to follow, but in my experience, in those tearful moments, the person is looking most of all for human connection that is otherwise missing in prison life where emotion can be known as weakness and vulnerability is shown at your peril. When people have lost hope of a new day with a better future it’s our responsibility and privilege to share the love of Christ, to listen as Christ did when he met the woman at the well in Samaria, to be available as he was when the unnamed woman in a crowd reached out to touch his garment, to be present as he was when he comforted Mary and Martha. People still need that compassion and presence, and when it is infused with the love of Christ it is transformative.

Looking at the statistics there is a year-on-year increase in deaths in Scottish prisons, in the last 5 years there have been 172 deaths of people in custody, 34 of these in 2022. Suicide and drug overdoses continue to be the cause of most deaths, compared to natural causes. Suicide is six times more likely in the prison population in the UK than in wider society, and a significant number of those occur within the first four weeks of someone entering custody. Incidents of self-harm in prison are not routinely published but from the information that we have we see that they are also on the rise. There were 762 recorded incidents in 2018 which is three times the figure for 2013.

Lord God,

You have not made us for darkness or for death, but for life, and light and love. Hear us as we pray for all those who today in prison see no value in their life, no light in their future, and no love in their present. You have promised ‘to open a door in the valley of trouble’, so we ask that you will do this today for those who are contemplating suicide in prison, and bring them into a place of peace and safety. In Jesus name,

Amen.