Dramatic rise in self harm in Scotland’s prisons revealed (North Tayside Liberal Democrats)

North Tayside Liberal Democrats <info@libdems.org.uk>

Dramatic rise in self harm in Scotland’s prisons revealed

May 25, 2009 5:59 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Justice spokesperson Robert Brown MSP has revealed that incidents of self harm in Scotland's only female prison have rocketed from 7 to 64 since 2004. This is an 814 per cent increase.

The figures for self harming are much higher in Cornton Vale than elsewhere. For example, against the 64 incidents in Cornton Vale last year, there were 38 in Kilmarnock and far fewer at 15 in Barlinnie. Self harming by female prisoners is a particular challenge.

Young offenders account for almost half of the total number of self-harm incidents recorded at Cornton Vale, which has also seen a shocking increase in violence in recent years. The number of inter prisoner attacks almost doubled between 2006 and 2008 and there have been over a hundred attacks on staff since 2006.

Mr Brown will visit Cornton Vale tomorrow (Tuesday) to meet the new Governor and the senior management team.

Commenting, Mr Brown said:

"Self harming in Cornton Vale has rocketed by 814 per cent. It's particularly worrying that young offenders account for almost half of the incidents recorded. There is also a background of dramatic increases in the level of female offending more generally.

"We know that self harming is closely linked to mental health problems and we know that that many of the inmates in Cornton Vale struggle with addictions and mental health problems. The true scale of the problem is unknown because mental health problems are not officially recorded. This needs to change.

"In a recent report, inmates at Cornton Vale complained about the lack of rehabilitation facilities. They were backed up by a Scottish Prison Service expert who warned that overcrowding was to blame.

"I'm meeting the new Governor to see for myself the scale of the problems at Cornton Vale and to speak to staff who work hard to help inmates overcome addiction and mental health problems. This is vital if they're to break the offending cycle and make a useful contribution to society when they get out."