Two prisoners hanged themselves in the space of a few days in their cell of the prison of Metz where a third prisoner also tried to put an end to its days Tuesday, one learned Wednesday with the prosecutor's office of this city.
The first, a 37-year-old man who was sentenced to long-term rape and was about to be transferred to another facility, was found on Saturday in his cell, which he shared with another detainee. The second detainee, 60, was found hanged on Tuesday afternoon. In addition, a third inmate attempted suicide on Tuesday but was able to be rescued by the guards in time. Investigations are underway, told AFP correspondent the prosecutor of the Republic of Metz, Christian Mercuri.
131 suicides in French prisons in 2018
For the first case, a judicial inquiry will be opened "to search for the causes of death" to determine why this prisoner, who was to join a power plant, ended his life and explain why his fellow prisoner did not hear anything, he added. For the second suicide, it is however "still too early to say more (...) The investigation begins only," said Christian Mercuri. "The suicide of an inmate is always a tragedy," reacted Jean-Claude Roussy, Deputy Secretary General UFAP Grand Est, recalling that the guards face almost "every day" to suicide attempts .
A total of 131 people killed themselves in French prisons in 2018, a "sensitive" increase compared to 2017 (117 suicides), announced in March the Directorate of Prison Administration (DAP) in a report.
According to the International Prison Observatory (IOP), inmates commit suicide six times more than the general population, with equal demographic characteristics (age, sex).