Suicides in prison in 2024 at 63, 43% more than in 2023. A third were detainees still awaiting trial

There are 63 people who have committed suicide in prison since the beginning of the year. The data, Updated August 16this contained in the report of the National Guarantor of the rights of persons deprived of liberty, released today. “This is a high figure compared to the same month of August 2023. where they registered 44 suicides (with an increase of 19 deaths, 43% more) and in August 2022 of 11 deaths)”, the document reads.

Of the 63 suicides, 61 were men and 2 women. Regarding nationality, 33 were Italian (equal to 52%) and 30 foreigners (equal to 48%). The most present age groups are those between 26 and 39 years old (30 people) and between 40 and 55 years old (16 people); the remaining are distributed in the classes 18-25 years (7 people)56-69 years (9 people) and over 70 years (1 people). The average age of people who committed suicide is about 40 years old.

The legal position of people who have taken their own lives in prison is as follows: 26 had been definitively judged and convicted (41.3%), while 8 had a so-called “mixed with definitive” position, that is, they had at least one definitive conviction and other ongoing criminal proceedings; 24 people (38.1%) were awaiting first trial2 applicants, 2 appellants and 1 provisional internee. As regards There were 1,335 suicide attempts in our prisons since the beginning of the year compared to 1,220 in 2023.