Cardinal attacks jail suicide rise

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Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor said the overcrowding crisis had stretched the prison system to breaking point and there had been a "shocking" increase in prison suicide levels.

He said: "The system is stretched to breaking point, with the overcrowding crisis making regular headlines in our news bulletins, and there is a shocking increase in prison suicide levels.

"Jesus Christ teaches us to believe in the innate dignity and worth of every human being, and in the possibility of redemption, no matter what a person has done.

"The Christian faith calls us to demonstrate loving compassion towards the most marginalised and forgotten in society. Through justice, mercy, forgiveness and hope, no-one is beyond the reach of God's purpose."

The Cardinal's remarks coincide with Prisoners' Sunday, designated as a day of reflection and prayer for prisoners, their families and all those involved in the prison system.

The Prison Advice & Care Trust (Pact), a charity founded by Catholic lawyers, has produced a pack aimed at encouraging Catholic parishes to get more involved in local prisons.

Pact director Andy Keen-Downs said: "More than 150,000 children every year experience the imprisonment of a parent or close relative. Some of them live in our parishes, but suffer in silence.

"Every day, hundreds of prisoners walk out of prisons with no home, no job, and no-one to support them. As a result, two thirds of prisoners go on to commit more crimes and make more victims.

"I hope that this pack will encourage parishes to think about what we can all do as Christian communities to make a difference."