Prison suicide - Ministerial apathy is heartless

The 112 people who attempted suicide in our prisons last year was an increase of over 20% on the previous year — that figure had risen by 27% since 2001.

These statistics depict an alarming state of affairs within the prison system.

The National Suicide Research Foundation suggests that those figures are actually conservative. It contends that the official figure of 93 attempted suicides in 2002 should really have been 144. The Irish Penal Reform Trust likewise believe the official figure is much lower than reality.