Suicide rate in French prisons hitting a record ‎

Suicide is a major factor in the average of one death reported in French prisons every two or three days, according to French media reports.

French inmates are nearly six times more likely to commit suicide than the country's general population, making it one of the European nations with the highest prison suicide rates.

According to some institutions and organizations working in this area, the suicide rate among French prisoners is ten times higher than that of the nation's general population.

Since the 1990s, there has been an increase in the number of inmates in French prisons who have mental illnesses or other critical conditions; this is one of the main causes of the rising suicide rate in French prisons.

However, some medical professionals stress that inmates in France who kill themselves are much more traumatized and have previously dealt with crises like domestic violence, sexual abuse, and human trafficking.

Statistics show that 125 inmates in France committed suicide in 2022. According to a 2023 report by the International Prison Observatory (OIP), 149 suicide deaths occurred in French prisons.

Reports show an increasing trend of this crisis in 2024, despite the fact that the exact number of suicides in French prisons has not yet been determined.

France has received numerous warnings about this crisis from the Council of Europe, which has urged Paris to treat it as a public health emergency.

Recommendations from human rights institutions and organizations to France regarding the consequences of the ongoing crisis in the country's prisons and repeated condemnations of France in European institutions regarding violations of prisoners' human rights have not yet led to serious and effective action.

Because of a number of factors, such as outdated infrastructure, overcrowding, unchecked corruption, etc., French prisons continue to rank among the nation's primary hotspots for human rights abuses.