Criminalizing suicide:Criminalize heart attacks too - expert chides police

The Ghana Police Service has been advised to desist from arresting people who are suspected to have attempted suicide, irrespective of the position of the law on the matter.

According to an expert- a Clinical Psychologist at the University of Ghana School of Medical Sciences, Mr Christian Ackom- people who attempt suicide, are not different from heart attack victims; and need care, not police arrest, as they are sick and the right place to cure them is not the police station; he said in an interview MyNewsGh.com monitored.

The expert said the same way we will rush a heart attack case to the hospital and not a police station; we must rush people who attempt suicide to the nearest treatment facility. The police particularly, were advised not to treat people who attempt suicide but fail as criminals deserving of punishment under the law.

“The issue of suicide is a bit more complex than we think. If the police become trigger-happy and want to rush everybody who have threaten (sic) suicide to court to be punished then I think it is not right, because you will not punish someone for having a heart attack and suicide is a mental health condition,” the Clinical Psychologist said.

“This idea of punishing people for attempting to commit suicide is misplaced. The thing is the law is very old and we have been advocating for it to be repealed.” Mr Ackom said.

This advise follows the story of the arrest of a resident of Assin Kwaata, one Joseph Acquah, 38, who had threatened to take his own life over his wife’s refusal to have sex with him for three months. The police subsequently arrested him when his wife reported the issue and is currently being processed for court.

Under the Ghana Criminal Offences Act – 1960 (Act 29) section 57; suicide, abetment of suicide and attempted suicide are all considered criminal.

(1) Whoever abets the commission of suicide by any person shall whether or not the suicide be actually committed, be guilty of first degree felony.

(2) Whoever attempts to commit suicide shall be guilty of a misdemeanour.

History of criminalization of suicide

A suicide attempt is an attempt where a person tries to commit suicide but survives. It may be referred to as a failed suicide attempt or nonfatal suicide attempt, but the latter terms are subject to debate among researchers. Suicide attempts include parasuicide such as self-harm where there is no actual intention of killing oneself.

Historically in the Christian church, people who attempted suicide were excommunicated because of the religiously polarizing nature of the topic. While previously criminally punishable, attempted suicide is no longer in most Western countries. It remains a criminal offense in most Islamic countries. In the late 19th century in Great Britain, attempted suicide was deemed to be equivalent to attempted murder and could be punished by hanging. In the United States, suicide is not illegal and almost no country in Europe currently considers attempted suicide to be a crime. In some cases of completed suicide, the person’s property can be seized by the government and bills for treatment of the corpse can be sent to the person’s survivors or living family members.

In Singapore, a person who attempts to commit suicide can be imprisoned for up to one year. In India, attempted suicide was an offense punishable under the Section 309 of the Indian Penal Code until December 2014, when it was repealed.

In Japan it is illegal to attempt suicide but not punishable. In Cyprus, the only European country where it is illegal, attempted suicide constitutes a misdemeanour, same as Ghana here. As of 2012, attempted suicide is a criminal offense in Uganda.

Many other countries still prosecute suicide (whether completed or not). In Maryland in the US, it is an open question as to whether suicide is illegal. This year, a Maryland man was convicted of attempted suicide.