Human rights approaches to suicide in prison: implications for policy, practice and research

Abstract

All those responsible for preventing and responding to suicides in prison must fulfil these human rights obligations, and doing so would support a culture of protecting human rights in prison. In addition, compliance with the human rights standards described here should become a factor more regularly examined in analyses of why suicides occur in prison.

Prisoner death investigations: a means for improving safety in prisons and societies?

“…Prison safety matters and effective ombud institutions could stimulate improved prison safety (Tomczak 2021). Prison (un)safety is intrinsically concerning to anyone interested in their fellow citizens' social welfare and human rights (Liebling 2004, Rogan 2018. Unsafe prisons have implications far beyond prison walls.…”

“…Similarly, prisoner deaths represent the tip of an iceberg of prisoner ill health, neglect, poor quality of prison life and abuse, which are all morally problematic and correlate with increased reoffending and public health risks. (Inter)national law imposes obligations to investigate prisoner deaths (International Committee of the Red Cross/ICRC 2013, Rogan 2018). Prisoner death investigations create rich data which have been little utilised by academia, policy or practice (Tomczak 2018(Tomczak , 2021, but offer 'a starting point for much-needed analysis' into the quality of prison life, prison regimes (Liebling and Ludlow 2016, p. 238), prisoner (ill-)health and risks to societal health and safety.…”

“…Deaths in coercive institutions involve legal obligations and legal responses (Rogan 2018) and threaten the fundamental human right to life, which forms the basic pre-condition of the enjoyment of other rights (Owen and Macdonald 2015). (Inter)national human rights law and humanitarian law impose obligations to respect and protect life in all circumstances, and to investigate suspected violations of the right to life (ICRC 2013).…”

Psychiatric and legal considerations for ketamine treatment within prison settings

“…Besides complex mental health conditions like attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and substance use disorder (SUD), major depression appears to be particularly relevant ( 6 , 7 ). Studies conducted in prisons show a prevalence of 35 - 38% for depressive disorders and a three to ninefold increase in suicide risk ( 8 , 9 ), partly due to inadequate access to specialist treatment and environmental health stressors ( 10 , 11 ). PLP represent a high-risk group, with reported rates of 18% and 31% for a lifetime history of self-harm and suicide attempts, respectively ( 12 ).…”

Bereaved Family ‘Involvement’ in (Prisoner) Death Investigations: Whose ‘Satisfaction’?

“…(Inter)national laws impose obligations on States to investigate all prisoner deaths (and all deaths in compulsory state detention e.g. criminal, psychiatric, immigration) as suspected violations of the right to life (OHCHR, 2016; Rogan, 2018). In October 2021, the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Morris Tidball-Binz, identified deaths in custody amongst his four priority areas and stressed the importance of death investigation systems in preventing and resolving unlawful deaths worldwide.…”