Scathing report: Jail suicide attempts recorded as self-harm, prison watchdog finds

Prison officials have been slammed over their failure to accurately record suicide attempts in WA’s jails, with the watchdog revealing almost 40 incidents last year were instead misclassified as “self-harm”. In a scathing report from the Inspector of Custodial Services, the Justice Department was found to have misclassified suicide attempts by prisoners due to the reporting system did not distinguish between self-harm threats and suicidal behaviours. Analysis of prison records found 18 incidents classified as self-harm included statements from prisoners before an attempt that they were going to end their life. The watchdog said a further 20 self-harm incidents also appeared to be attempted suicides, but intent was not recorded. Inspector of Custodial Services Eamon Ryan said accurate recording of self-harm and suicide attempts would assist the Justice Department in responding to inmate needs. “By accurately recording incidents of self-harm and attempted suicides, the Department can build a better understanding of the extent of the mental health challenges within our prisons and youth detention facilities,” he said. “This information can be used to more accurately provide the resources required on the ground to support the wellbeing of people in custody.” The report recommended using a definition of attempted suicide which does not rely on identifying intent, and introducing a clinical review process as two potential mechanisms to ensure incidents are categorised appropriately. Prior to the report’s release, the Department had changed its classification system to create a “suicide threat” category, a move Mr Ryan expected would improve the recording accuracy of the incidents. Corrective Services commissioner Brad Royce said the new category differentiated between self-harm and suicide. “This is expected to continue to improve the accuracy of recording and reporting of self-harm and attempted suicide incidents by making it simpler for staff to categorise these occurrences,” he said. “The correct application of occurrence types is a priority for the Department, including ongoing education and training for staff on incident recording and reporting, along with refining its incident review and monitoring governance processes. Department director general Kylie Maj said the Department was committed to prisoner safety and wellbeing. “Accurate recording and reporting of such incidents is crucial to data analysis to identify risk, develop and implement targeted prevention strategies and facilitate supports for at-risk prisoners,” she said. “It also enables the Department to fulfil its reporting obligations to national data collection agencies, with a particular focus on the prevention of Aboriginal deaths in custody.” The report comes after the suicide of teenager Cleveland Dodd at Banksia Hill, the first juvenile detainee to die in custody in WA. An inquest in April into Cleveland’s 2022 suicide heard the 16-year-old high-risk detainee threatened to harm himself eight times on his final night in Unit 18. While he was not the only detainee to self-harm or threaten to do so that day, the inquest was told Cleveland’s final warning was just two words: “I’m through.”