THE family of a young man who took his own life in Maghaberry Prison have held a protest outside the jail to highlight how issues of mental health are being dealt with within the prison.
Prayers were said and placards displayed, including one which stated "Mental Health: Not Mental Hell", during a protest on Sunday afternoon organised by Paul McConville.
Mr McConville's son Daniel died in custody aged 22 in August 2018.
The father-of-two took his own life the day before he had been due to appear in court charged with possession of cannabis resin.
Mr McConville said: "He is now a statistic, one of many people who have committed suicide at HMP Maghaberry in recent years, but he is more than a statistic to us - he was a beloved son, brother and father of two young children.
"Daniel's not the first and he won't be the last if things aren't changed."
Mr McConville said he believes the suicide toll since 2007 in Maghaberry "now stands at 22 people".
"It is a sad indictment on our society that the way we deal with our people with mental health issues is to wait until they break the law and then throw them in prison," he said.
"Statistics for 2016 indicated that of the 1,533 members of the NI prison population, 417 were recorded as having mental health issues.
"That means over a quarter of our prison population, but there is no specialist mental health unit within the prison," he added.
Mr McConville said he had been disappointed with the level of engagement from politicians and clergy.
He said he had asked various elected representatives to join the protest but had not had responses.
