26 March
New figures released today by the Department of Corrections show that corrections officers have saved the lives of at least 190 prisoners in the last five years.
Prison Services Assistant General Manager Leanne Field says the 190 figure relates to prisoners involved in self-harm incidents where the individual would have been unlikely to survive without staff intervention.
“This is a major achievement and our staff deserve to be acknowledged. Their swift action in dealing with these types of incidents has resulted in the saving of a significant number of lives, not something many people can say they achieve in their daily role,” says Mrs Field.
“This result is coupled with the fact that the rate of prisoner suicide has fallen by nearly 60 percent since 1996."
In 2004-2005 there were 0.07 suicides per 100 prisoners and despite a significant rise in the prison population, this rate has fallen to 0.04 suicides in 2008-2009.
“These results have been achieved through the significant amount of work the Department has undertaken to identify and manage at risk prisoners. This work includes enhancing our prisoner assessment tools, increased staff training, the introduction of 14 specially designed At Risk Units and the implementation of new policies and procedures such as the razor blade policy.
“Every prisoner entering prison undertakes a comprehensive assessment to identify any mental health issues. We then work very closely with mental health services and District Health Boards to ensure prisoners are provided with treatment.
“The other key factor that has been critical in the reduction of suicide and self-harm incidents is our staff actively managing prisoners to identify warning signs of self-harm behaviour or thoughts. Staff are fully trained to do this by actively engaging with prisoners and monitoring their behaviour for any changes that suggest they could be considering self harm.
“Staff vigilance is really the best tool we have in reducing these types of incidents and the figures released today prove that our staff are working very hard to manage prisoners effectively and keep them safe.
“However, in spite of these positive results the Department is committed to further driving down the suicide and self harm rates. Despite our efforts it is incredibly difficult to stop someone who is determined to do harm to themselves. Suicide in prison is a major issue for correctional jurisdictions worldwide and mental health disorders and illnesses are up to five times more prevalent among prisoners than in general population.
“We do however have a number of initiatives underway to reduce these rates further such as a pilot of two new assessment tools to be used when determining if a prisoner is at risk and a review of rip proof bedding and clothing for at risk prisoners to prevent them using these materials to harm themselves."
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Notes to editors
At Risk Units
The Department has introduced 14 specially designed At Risk Units that are used to accommodate prisoners who are assessed as being potentially suicidal or wanting to self-harm. They have extremely limited fittings and fixtures to limit the ability to self-harm. The cells are also under camera supervision and prisoners in these units have a great deal of interaction with mental health professionals.
Razor Blade Policy
The razor blade policy was implemented last year to restrict some prisoners access to razor blades. Under the policy high security, remand and youth prisoners are no longer permitted to keep razors in their cells. When they need to shave they are issued with a razor for an hour. After this period a corrections officer collects the razor and ensures it has not been tampered with eg blades removed. This policy complements the policy in place for prisoners in At Risk Units. When an at risk prisoner needs to shave they are monitored by staff to ensure they do not harm themselves.
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