A 27-year-old prisoner hanged himself in his cell at Angoulême prison on Sunday, prison officials said on Wednesday and his lawyer said he warned of the risk of suicide, and contemplates prosecution of the state.
Less than a week after his arrival
His three inmates had gone for a walk when the young man ended his life with links he had made. An officer discovered him and several people, including two volunteer firefighters, intervened to try to save him. "Interviews with the detainee had not allowed to determine the state of maximum alert on health," raising fears of suicide, told AFP the Interregional Directorate of Penitentiary Services (DISP).
Nevertheless, the detainee, psychologically fragile, had enhanced surveillance since his arrival at the prison on Wednesday, May 29th. He went into immediate appearance two days later, but the case was adjourned in July to prepare his defense.
His family would like to sue the state
"It was like a death sentence to put him in detention," his lawyer, Chems-Eddine Belkaid, told AFP, adding that his client had made several requests for hospitalization. "I pleaded at the hearing the thesis of suicide behind bars that has not been taken into account by the court and his family will most certainly take action against the state," he said.
The man "stabbed his neighbor under the influence of alcohol, he had alcohol problems since the age of 10," according to Belkaid, confirming information from Southwest and Free Charente . According to the DISP, from January to early June, there were 49 suicides in French prisons, compared to 46 during the same period in 2018.