India: death rate up, jails to get ‘suicide watchers’

The Punjab Prisons is training a unique squad of “suicide watchers” as a study of suicides between 2017 and 2019 found that nearly 42 per cent of the victims died by suicide within a month of incarceration. Fifteen per cent could not last even 48 hours in jail.The squad comprising jail staff and senior inmates (convicts only) will keep a watch on new entrants in the jails or those showing symptoms of serious depression and anxiety that can lead to suicide.

Upneet Lalli, Deputy Director, Institute of Correctional Administration, conducted the study “Suicides in Punjab Prisons: Causative Factors and Preventive Strategies”. Training “suicide watchers” was one of the recommendations, while the study also asked the government to appoint full time psychologists/counsellors in jails to prevent the incidents.

Youngsters are more prone to suicide, the study reveals. Nearly 54 per cent of the victims aged between 25 and 35 years. Hanging in the bathroom or the barrack was the only way chosen by all the victims. The decision was taken during the hours when the person is lonelier, between midnight and 10 am and 2-4 pm.