More incidents of self-harm have been reported at a Tayside prison already in 2019 than in the whole of last year, according to data obtained by the Scottish Liberal Democrats.
The figures show 66 incidents were recorded at HMP Perth between January 1 and July 31 – including four suicide attempts. A total of 51 incidents were logged in 2018.
The pattern in Perth is similar to that across Scotland, with 1,069 incidents reported so far this year, already higher than the 2018 total of 762.
Lib Dem justice spokesman Liam McArthur has called for answers about why the figures have increased.
A spokesman for the Scottish Prison Service said: “We have staff who work very hard to keep our prisons safe.
“Something missing from these figures is that some of these incidents involve the same people.
“We continue to improve the mechanisms to support these individuals.”