In 2022 Scotland reported a suicide rate of 18.9 per 10,000 inmates; this compares to 9.3 suicides per 10,000 inmates in England & Wales and a European median rate of 5.3 – only Latvia (21.7), Switzerland (20.2) and France (19.1) reported higher rates than Scotland in 2022.

Scotland also has one of the highest remand rates in Europe.

On 31 January 2023, the total number of inmates in Scotland was 7,408, of which 28.9 per cent were without a final sentence; this compares to 17.3 per cent of inmates without a final sentence in England & Wales and a European median figure of 24.7 per cent.

The news comes amid a crisis in prisoner numbers in Scotland and England, with prisoners to be released early to ease overcrowding.

Dr Hannah Graham, a criminologist at the University of Stirling, told SLN: “Deaths in custody are a significant concern – each one affects staff, fellow prisoners, and deeply affects bereaved families.”

“These new European figures are calculated from 2022 data, and our prison population has risen by around 750 more people since then, adding further pressures and risks.

“The high rates of reported suicide in Scottish prisons galvanise the question: what are the Scottish Prison Service and NHS doing to reduce and prevent these deaths? Do they have the staff time and resources that this serious issue deserves? It is high time for many more deeds, not just words. Lives depend on it.”