Australia: Mount Eden prison has highest attempted suicide rates

An increase in inmate numbers is being given as a reason for the Mount Eden Correctional Facility having the highest rates of attempted suicides and self harm incidents in the country’s jails.

Data released by the Corrections Department shows the remand jail’s been responsible for 20 percent of all such incidents over the past five years - seven were recorded in the last financial year.

The figures also show a marked jump nationally in self harm and attempted suicides across the prison system in the last financial year - 26 were recorded in total.

Corrections Department National Commissioner Jeremy Lightfoot said they’ve looked into the incidents to determine whether the increases might indicate the onset of a pattern, or an issue with their procedures that needs to be addressed

He said many of the incidents were due to a single prisoner making repeated self harm attempts.

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