- The suicide rate of prisoners exceeds twice the existing social rate. In addition, one third of inmates suffer from mental illness. This is data on the health of European prisoners in 2020, derived from a WHO report they are now presenting.
103 out of every 100,000 inmates committed suicide in European prisons in 2020; if we serve the general population, the suicide rate is 39.5 per 100,000 citizens. Another significant piece of information in the report is related to mental health, which affected 32 per cent of prisoners with mental disorders.
The United Nations Health Agency believes that more investment, more resources and more staff are needed for the surveillance and mental health care of prisons.
COVID-19 was the second cause of death in prisons: 163 people died from coronavirus, below the general population rate, and 92 people died from drug overdose. 8% of inmates had some drug addiction.
The report also mentions other illnesses suffered by inmates: hypertension (10.9%), cardiovascular problem (6.1%) and diabetes (3%).
The report was drawn up with data from 36 European countries and presented this Wednesday. Dr Hans Henri, European Director of the WHO, has gathered news: “Prison should never be condemned to worse health. All citizens are entitled to quality health care, regardless of their legal status.”