How to help offenders on probation who are at high risk of suicide
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Jay-Marie Mackenzie, University of Westminster
An estimated 800,000 people die by suicide around the world each year, according to the World Health Organisation. This translates to about one person every 40 seconds, and every year on September 10 World Suicide Prevention Day aims to raise awareness and prevent more loss of life.
In the UK, there has been a particular focus on suicides of people serving time in prison. Figures from the Ministry of Justice showed 119 people died by suicide in prison in England and Wales in 2016 – a record number.
Yet offenders serving probation sentences often fall under the radar. These people may have been sentenced directly to a community sentence, or have spent some time in prison before being released under the supervision of probation staff. Probationers have been found to be nine times more likely to die by suicide than the general population, with 14% of the total deaths of probationers in 2009 due to suicide. In 2012, the Howard League of Pen...
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