More than 30 young people killed themselves in prison

Thirty-one young offenders aged 25 years and under killed
themselves in prisons in England and Wales during 2003, according
to the latest statistics produced by the Howard League for Penal
Reform, writes Clare Jerrom.

There were 94 prison suicides in total last year (including
adults) – a third of which were prisoners on remand and three
per cent were immigration detainees. Fourteen of the deaths were
women, which is the highest number of females to have taken their
own lives in a single year.

The Howard League fears that the number of suicides in prisons
will not fall until the prison population is radically reduced and
strategies to deal with suicide and self-harm are properly
realised.

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