A crisis support unit at Canberra's jail was full on the night an inmate committed suicide at the prison, government figures show.
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Documents supplied to Fairfax Media under freedom-of-information laws show all 10 beds in the unit, which is designed specifically for prisoners at high risk of suicide or self harm, were occupied the night of the inmate's death.
The 30-year-old prisoner committed suicide on July 16 in a cell in the jail's health centre, which Fairfax Media understands is not intended to hold those feared likely to self-harm or commit suicide.
The figures also show the crisis support unit was at capacity on 10 of the days from July 10 to July 20.
Nine of 10 beds were in use on July 15, the day before the Alexander Maconochie Centre's first prisoner suicide.
The government said guards checked the inmate's cell less than an hour before his body was found just before 7pm on July 16.
Prison authorities had been warned the inmate was at risk of self harm a month before his death.
Fairfax Media has previously reported that the 332-bed jail was also close to capacity on the night of the death. It is unclear whether the inmate was still marked as a prisoner at risk when he killed himself.
It is also unclear why the prisoner was being housed in the jail's health centre, which Fairfax Media understands is not typically staffed at night, rather than the specifically designed crisis support unit. A spokeswoman for Corrections Minister Shane Rattenbury said the minister would not be commenting about the prisoner's circumstances because a coronial inquiry on the suicide was under way.
Mr Rattenbury did not answer questions about whether the demand for beds in the crisis support unit had been higher than the unit could carry. The minister also did not answer questions as to why the prisoner was being housed in the health centre.
A spokeswoman said the ''needs and circumstances of each detainee within the CSU are assessed each morning by clinical health staff''.
''Appropriate accommodation and care is determined on a daily basis,'' she said.
The spokeswoman said a number of factors were considered when determining where a prisoner was to be housed, including the prisoner's security classification and their association with other detainees.
''There are 10 beds available in the CSU and these are utilised effectively to meet the needs of each detainee in the Alexander Maconochie Centre, on a daily basis,'' she said.