Written question asked by John Battle (Labour) on Thursday, 5 July 2007, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Monday, 9 July 2007. It was answered by Lord Hanson of Flint (Labour) on Thursday, 12 July 2007 on behalf of the Ministry of Justice.

Armley Prison: Suicide

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many suicides have taken place in HM Prison Armley in each year since 1987.

Answer

The information requested is contained in the following table and associated notes.

	Number of self-inflicted deaths at HMP Leeds¹
1987	2
1988	4
1989	2
1990	1
1991	2
1992	2
1993	2
1994	1
1995	1
1996	1
1997	1
1998	4
1999	5
2000	3
2001	1
2002	4
2003	3
2004	2
2005	2
2006	7
2007	2
¹ The Prison Service definition of self-inflicted deaths is broader than the legal definition of suicide and includes all deaths where it appears that a prisoner has acted specifically to take their own life. This inclusive approach is used in part because inquest verdicts are often not available for some years after a death (some 20 per cent. of these deaths will not receive a suicide or open verdict at inquest). Annual numbers may change slightly from time to time as inquest verdicts and other information become available.

Secondary information