Statement given in response to a media enquiry about the number of attempted suicides in Scottish prisons (September 2016):

It should be a matter for concern that anyone in the care of the state should feel so desperate as to attempt to take their own life. The incidence of mental health disorders is much higher amongst the prison population than the popular at large. The report published by the Scottish Prisons Commission in 2008 estimated that 70% of prisoners suffered from at least two mental disorders. In 2007, HM Inspector of Prisons reported that 80% of women held in Cornton Vale suffered from mental health problems. Suicide prevention programmes like Act2Care are critical, as are good relationships between prison staff and inmates. Suicide rates are also higher amongst those on remand and Scotland’s remand imprisonment rate is the highest of the three UK jurisdictions. Reducing the size of the prison population, particularly for those on remand and those serving short prison sentences, is also key to reducing more unnecessary pain and suffering.