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SUICIDE

Remand centre suicides show no sign of abating

A man was found hanged in his cell at a remand centre in Karlstad in western Sweden on Thursday morning.

According to Sveriges Television (SVT), the man probably hanged himself sometime during the night or early in the morning. Staff at the facility called police shortly before 8am and an investigation is now under way.

Remand centre suicide is on the rise in Sweden. In 2007, 11 people committed suicide in remand centres, the highest count in many years. Today’s suicide is the third in a string of suicides across Swedish remand centres earlier this year.

Only a couple of months ago a man was found hanged at a remand centre in Mariestad. Prison staff were criticized for not taking him down and trying to resuscitate him.

Instead they left him in his noose and waited for 7 minutes until ambulance staff arrived. The man died later in hospital.

In the light of these tragic events, the Swedish correctional system has decided to change regulations on how staff handle inmates with suicidal tendencies.