Netherlands, Belgium top prison suicide list

[Baluarte]

Nearly half the countries of western and eastern Europe have over-crowded prisons. In some cases there are 150 prisoners for 100 places, according to the Council of Europe Penal Statistics' latest report. Suicide is highest among convicts in the Netherlands, Belgium and France.
Twenty of the 47 countries in the Council of Europe have more prisoners than places available, according to the report published on May 3 by the pan-European organisation, which compiled statistics for 2011.

Serbia led with 157.6 prisoners for 100 places, followed by Greece with 151.7 prisoners and Italy with 147 prisoners, the report said.

France had 113.4 prisoners for 100 places, Belgium had 127.2 prisoners and Hungary had 138.2 prisoners.

The authors of the report warned that each country set different criteria for prisoner capacity, adding comparisons may be misleading.

Totals

"Overcrowding is a problem in half of the European penitentiary administrations," according to a statement accompanying the Council of Europe Penal Statistics survey.

The report compiled by University of Lausanne researchers Marcelo F. Aebi and Natalia Delgrande said Council of Europe member countries counted a total of 1.86 million inmates in their prisons in 2011, or 154 prisoners for 100,000 inhabitants.

The suicide rate in the Netherlands was 17 per 10,000 inmates, in Belgium 16.7, and in France 15.5, against an average of 6.7 for the council's member countries.

(AFP)

[The Lawspeaker]

Finally some good news.