Senior Registrar, National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Ireland
Kapil Sharma
Senior Registrar, National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum and Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Ronan Mullaney
Senior Registrar, National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum, Ireland
Enda Kelly
National Operational Nurse Manager, Mountjoy Prison, Ireland
Mary Keevans
Complex Nurse Manager, Mountjoy Prison and Irish Prison Service, Ireland
Myra Cullinane
Dublin District Coroner, Department of Justice and Equality, Ireland
Harry Kennedy
Senior Registrar, National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum and Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Damian Mohan
Senior Registrar, National Forensic Mental Health Service, Central Mental Hospital, Dundrum and Department of Psychiatry, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland
Mental health and substance misuse disorders are associated with unnatural deaths in prisoners. Deaths in Irish prisons between 2009 and 2014 were retrospectively analysed using coroner's findings, including post-mortem toxicology. There were 69 deaths in custody, 38 of which met inclusion criteria. All deaths by overdose (16) were positive for illicit drugs; 53% of deaths (8 of 15) due to hanging were also positive for illicit drugs, and 29% of deaths (2 of 7) from other causes were toxicology positive. In conclusion, 26 unnatural deaths (68%) were associated with use of illicit drugs, which are a major contributory factor to deaths of prisoners.
