Private jail home to quarter of all self-harming inmates

MORE than one in four inmates who self-harmed in a Scottish jail last year were in the privately-run Addiewell Prison, new figures have revealed.

A total of 66 prisoners were recorded as having self-harmed, making the West Lothian jail the worst in the country for people deliberately injuring themselves.

Sodexo Justice Services, which runs the Addiewell facility, said its staff "closely monitor every prisoner who displays indications of self-harm" in a bid to reduce incidents.

The figures, revealed by Justice Secretary Kenny MacAskill, also showed that self-harm cases reached a six-year high at Saughton Prison in Edinburgh last year, with 13. But the Scottish Prison Service (SPS) said that "robust reporting" could be responsible for the higher total in 2010. During the previous year, only one case was recorded. The number of cases at Addiewell rose from 24 to 66 during the same period.

Gavin Brown, Lothians Tory MSP, said: "We have to get to the bottom of why this is happening. It may be mental health issues or drink and drug problems. We also need to know why the number of incidents is far greater here than at any other prison in Scotland."

A spokeswoman for Sodexo Justice Services said: "We recognise that self-harming is a serious issue. At HMP Addiewell, we do everything possible to identify cases quickly and provide help and support to those who need it.

"Unlike most other prisons, our reporting system involves recording all cases of self-harm, including instances where prisoners may verbally alert us of their intentions, who may not necessarily go on to physically harming themselves."

An spokesman for SPS said: "The self-harm statistics represent robust reporting of incidents which were much lower in previous years.

"Prisoners often arrive in prison having experienced emotional and traumatic personal circumstances which is added to the stress of being incarcerated."

"Any self-harm incident in prison is regrettable."