They will report to the IACHR the increase in cases of suicide of prisoners

Jessica Xantomila and Jared Laureles

La Jornada Newspaper
Sunday, November 10, 2024, p. 9

Deaths by suicide of women deprived of liberty at the Federal Center for Women’s Social Reintegration (Cefereso 16), in Morelos, continue to increase, despite the repeated complaints of civil organizations that have warned of a alarming pattern of neglect and lack of protection. From 2022 to 2024, there are 19 inmates who have taken their lives. They were women between 20 and 43 years of age, some with a previous suicide attempt, and another with a protection to receive mental health care.

For this reason, Documenta, Asilegal and the Federal Institute of Public Defender (IFDP), among others, will report these cases to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in a hearing to be held next Tuesday, to demand that they be investigated.

Cefereso 16 is the only federal penitentiary center for women, and in 2023 it was the federal prison with the most suicide reports, adding 11; while in 2024 there are already six cases.

Sofía de Robina Castro, technical secretary for combating torture of the IFDP, asserted that it is necessary to carry out an investigation into these deaths and determine responsibilities. What the authorities tell us is that the reason for death in all cases is asphyxiation due to hanging.but they They have the obligation to respond because in all the alleged cases they are deaths of women who were in custody..

In an interview, he explained that derived from an analysis of clinical records, interviews and other reports, they have been able to warn many deficiencies in mental health care. The main thing we found is that there is a lack of follow-up on diagnoses by specialists.

He pointed out that there is a lack of medicine and many inmates have stated that when they are available they give them to them. ground, sometimes they don’t know if they are actually what they are prescribed.

De Robina indicated that they have also documented requests from women who require psychological and psychiatric care, but they are not provided, and added that another of the factors detected are the conditions of isolation, as well as the lack of support networks.

Given this panorama, he specified that in addition to the support provided by the IFDP, they have presented at least eight complaints to investigate the deaths of the same number of women who have taken their lives in State custody.

He highlighted that among the deaths, there are cases such as that of an inmate who had previously attempted suicide, who, to avoid being prevented from taking her own life, He hit a prisoner and that is why they opened an investigation for the crime of injuries.. This, he emphasized, shows that far from providing comprehensive care, new investigations are initiated.

Another death is that of a woman who had a suspension in force to receive mental health care, which led the district judge to report to the Public Ministry due to lack of treatment.

De Robina pointed out that although the institute has tried to access the investigations into the suicides to find out if they are being conducted with due diligence, it has not been allowed on the grounds that it is not recognized as a representative of the victims.

Nayomi Aoyama, coordinator of the Penitentiary System and Social Reintegration programs at Documenta, highlighted that although the authority talks about suicides, These violent deaths cannot be described as such, until there is an investigation because it is a matter of a death in custody..

He warned that in this case There is a combo caused by the State, which begins with the nonexistence of mental health programs and services and continues with the torturous conditions in which many live..