Demand for free calls in jail to stem rising suicide rate

The prisons ombudsman has called for inmates to have free phone calls to stem rising rates of suicide in prisons. Adrian Usher, who was appointed as prisons and probation ombudsman (PPO) in April of last year, has demanded an overhaul of the prison telephone system after an inmate took their life every three and a half days in England and Wales last year.

- AMY-CLARE MARTIN

In an article published on the PPO website, he said standard practice currently sees inmates pay for calls by the minute, using money earned working in prison. They are among the worstpaid workers in the country, with inmates earning between £15 and £30 for a five-day week, he said.

But he called for prisoners to be granted minutes for free to ensure they can speak to friends and family “in their darkest hour”. He also believes leaving access to free phone time under the control of the prison governor will help to incentivise good behaviour.

“When I am investigating the circumstances of a self-inflicted death in a prison, far too frequently do I find that they had no credit on their phone account,” Mr Usher said. “This leads me to speculate if, in their darkest hour, they had the ability to contact a friend or a family member, would they have made a different choice?”