By KEILE CAMPBELL

Tribune Staff Reporter

kcampbell@tribunemedia.net

ATTORNEY General Ryan Pinder stopped short yesterday of pledging to remove attempted suicide from the Penal Code, saying only that the government would review recommendations, as campaigners renewed calls for reform on World Suicide Prevention Day.

Mr Pinder, responding to The Tribune after Senator Darren Pickstock repeated his call for decriminalisation at the Orange Alert Day Symposium at Zion South Beach Baptist Church, said the senator was speaking in his “individual capacity”.

“Like all who make legislative recommendations, the government will take a look at what he recommends,” Mr Pinder added, declining to outline any obstacles to changing the law.

Although it is rare for someone to be charged after trying to commit suicide, Mr Pickstock said criminalisation discourages vulnerable people from seeking help. “Suicide is a mental health issue and not a crime,” he said. “What criminalisation does is prevent people from coming forward and seeking help, so you are actually doing a disservice by having that on the books.”

Police data presented at the symposium showed eight suicides have already been recorded this year, matching the total for all of 2024. Officials also warned that most suicide attempts in recent years have involved people under 45, with a 2025 national survey finding that one in five high school students reported attempting suicide.

Despite attempted suicide remaining punishable by up to two years in prison, there is little evidence prosecutions are pursued. Recent cases, such as a 28-year-old man in Grand Bahama and a 45-year-old man in Guana Cay, were described as being “closely monitored” or “investigated” by police, but no charges followed.

The symposium, organised by the Public Hospitals Authority and Sandilands Rehabilitation Centre, brought together scores of students, health professionals and community leaders to confront stigma and promote mental health awareness.

Mr Pickstock said the statistics underscored the urgency of removing outdated laws and expanding support services. “Every life matters,” he said.