THE SCOTTISH Prison Service has hit back at Lib Dem claims of a spike in suicide attempts in the country’s jails.

Freedom of Information requests made by the party and Aberdeen’s Evening Express newspaper revealed that in the first seven months of 2019, 77 attempted suicides were recorded.

That’s more than double the 31 attempted suicides recorded in the entirety of 2018.

Other statistics revealed a total of 1,069 incidents of self harm recorded in the first seven months in 2019, up from 762 recorded in 2018.

In 2017, there was a total of 532 self-harm incidents recorded at Scottish prisons.

But according to prison bosses, the rise is partly down to a change in the way the service records suicide attempts and self-harming.

They also pointed out that the figures record incidents rather than people, and that the high numbers are down to small number of prisoners making “dozens” of attempts,

Scottish Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur claimed the figures showed that Scotland’s prisons were not safe places to be.

“The fact there have been twice as many attempted suicides in the first few months of 2019 as there was in the whole of last year is devastating news.

“These figures are a cry for help,” he said.

“The SNP Government need to wake up to the state of emergency in our prisons.

“Individual prisons are accommodating up to 500 more people than they were designed for.

“People are packed in like sardines and overworked staff are being overwhelmed by a mental health crisis.

“Scotland’s prisons are not safe places to be at the moment.”

Mr McArthur added: “It’s been over two years since the Scottish Government accepted Scottish Liberal Democrat proposals to expand the mental health workforce in prisons.

“They were supposed to share in the rollout of 800 extra staff but so far have received just 12.

“That’s not even the equivalent of one per prison.

“Fatal accident inquiries are supposed to ensure that lessons are learned from these tragedies, but the Crown office are swamped and can’t keep up.

“A broken system shouldn’t get in the way of lessons that can save lives.

“We need a much larger, coordinated intervention to save lives.

“The Scottish Government needs to establish a new taskforce to address the self-harm epidemic that is occurring within their care.

“Staff, prisoners and the communities people return to have every right to demand better.”

A Scottish Government spokesperson said: “We recognise that people entering the criminal justice system often have complex needs.

“This is why in recent years the Scottish Prison Service has improved reporting procedures for prison staff and raised awareness about the risks of self-harm, ensuring that cases are properly recorded and appropriate care and support provided.

“A multi-expert National Suicide Prevention Management Group has been established by SPS which is currently overseeing the development of a self-harm policy.

“SPS takes the mental health of all those in its care very seriously, and is working closely with NHS staff responsible for mental healthcare provision across the prison estate. “

Earlier this year, an academic report, commissioned by the parents of a 21 year old girl who killed herself in Polmont in 2018, suggested the system used for investigating prison suicides in Scotland was not fit for purpose.