Almost 1,400 prisoners have committed suicide in German prisons within 20 years. This is the result of statistics from the Federal Office of Justice for the years 1998 to 2017. The majority of suicides occurred in 2000 with 112 cases - the lowest value with 50 cases in 2013. In the total German population, more than 9,000 people die each year.
The vast majority of prisoners who died during the investigation period were men. In total, only 40 women committed suicide. The most common cause of death was hanging.
Preventing suicide prevention in prison is very important to professionals. "However, suicide can not be prevented in every case if I want to keep decent conditions," explains Katharina Bennefeld-Kersten, who founded the Federal Working Group on Suicide Prevention in Prison. It is true that prison staff could deprive dangerous prisoners of dangerous items. But that has limits.
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A disposable razor can usually be easily removed from the cell, explains the psychologist. To demand the belt from the pants, but go already to the dignity of man. However, high-risk inmates can be monitored by camera or monitored at close intervals. Some prisons also have special detention rooms for suicide prevention, usually right next to the ward room.
Almost one in four (22 percent), who has been behind bars in the past 20 years, had previously committed a homicidal offense, 16 percent had been imprisoned for a sexual crime, reports Bennefeld-Kersten. Of the nearly 1,400 prisoners who committed suicide, 167 had previously attempted suicide in custody.
Situations where officials have to pay extra attention
Prison officials are actually trained to recognize when a prisoner is vulnerable or depressed. Then psychological help can be called in. However, an intent to commit suicide is not always obvious. "If someone deals with suicidal thoughts and does not want that to be known, it will not be known," explains Bennefeld-Kersten. There are a number of situations in detention in which special care must be taken:
- when the detainee was admitted to the prison
- if the indictment arrives or the process begins
- if media report on the case, because then the charge is public for relatives, neighbors and fellow prisoners
- the conviction - especially if the offender did not expect a high sentence.
"Conversations with the prisoners are the most important thing," says Bennefeld-Kersten. All decisions about their accommodation must be communicated to them comprehensibly. In this way, the prisoners could feel safe from arbitrariness.
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