Bad food a reason for cutting your wrists?

According to employees of the remand centre [SIZO]* in the Poltava region, 13 remand prisoners attempted to cut their wrists on Wednesday because of the unsatisfactory situation with food.

The inmates were also angered by the fact that they weren’t allowed food parcels from outside. However the local police station claims that the food in the Komsomolsk SIZO is actually better than in other such institutions and itemizes the evening meal: borshch,  buckwheat and beef meatballs. 

The deputy head of the police station (which the SIZO is attached to) says that in usually 5.50 UH is spent on food (per person, presumably), whereas they spend 7.7.  He adds that they are presently making an arrangement so that if there are less inmates, they can use the money left over to add extra food.

As reported yesterday, 13 people being held in the Komsomolsk SIZO tried to cut their wrists. Six of them received medical treatment (the earlier report said all had been treated – translator). The doctors stated that wounds on the wrist were of different degrees of seriousness, but were not a threat to life.

According to unofficial reports, the cuts were made using a tube of toothpaste.

*  слідчий ізолятор is an investigative isolation unit, usually SIZO, where prisoners are remanded in custody pending trial.  In fact, however, since this is part of a police unit, it may be an ITT [temporary holding centre – before charges are laid.  It is not clear from the text and the initial report called it a SIZO [translator]