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Ministry of Defence

Answer

Mr. McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) suicides and (b) attempted suicides there were in military prisons in each year since 1990 by (i) members of the armed forces and (ii) members of the armed forces in custody awaiting trial; and how many serious self mutilations and injuries there were amongst members of the armed forces awaiting custodial sentences over the same period. [120512] Mr. Caplin :[holding answer 25 June 2003]: Armed Forces personnel who are found guilty of criminal charges requiring imprisonment are detained within Her Majesty's Prisons. There are no separate "military prisons". However, detention facilities are available at guardrooms in units and establishments in the United Kingdom and elsewhere in the world. When it is necessary to hold an individual in custody pending their trial or sentencing, they are usually held at a local detention facility. An average of around 1,000 personnel per year have been held at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC) in Colchester. The following table gives the number of attempted suicides, suicides, and incidents of self harm of members of the armed forces either in custody or awaiting a custodial sentence at the MCTC in Colchester. Information on members of the Armed Forces held in custody elsewhere is not held centrally and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Members of the armed forces in custody Members of the armed forces awaiting custodial sentence Year Attempted Suicide Suicide Attempted Suicide Suicide Self Harm 2003 0 0 0 0 0 2002 2 0 0 0 0 2001 1 0 0 0 1 2000 0 0 0 1 0 1999 2 0 0 0 0 1998 0 0 0 1 0 1997 0 0 0 0 0 1996 1 0 0 0 0 1995 0 0 0 0 0 1994 0 0 0 0 0 1993 0 0 0 0 0 1992 0 0 0 0 0 1991 0 0 0 0 0 1990 0 0 0 0 0 Total 6 0 0 2 1 _________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

120512; 409 c919-21W

Session

2002-03

Subjects

Armed forces Injuries Prisoners Prisons Suicide Self-harm

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk