Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what guidance they provide to prisons to support the prevention of suicide in prisons in England and Wales.

Prevention of suicide is a key priority for the Ministry of Justice. Prison Service Instruction 64/2011 on “Rules and guidance for prison staff on managing prisoners who are at risk of harm or death, or who may be a risk to others” provides overarching guidance on prison safety and supports the prevention of suicide in prisons, including through our case management approach for prisoners at risk of suicide and self-harm. The instruction sets out mandatory actions and guidance for staff, emphasising the importance of individualised support, multi-disciplinary teamwork, and identifying and addressing an individual’s risks, triggers and protective factors.

In addition, we are phasing in refreshed safety training for staff which includes suicide and self-harm prevention. In partnership with Samaritans, we have developed a suicide prevention learning tool, designed to give staff more confidence in engaging with prisoners who may be at risk of suicide. We have developed guidance on supporting someone who is self-harming, drawing on existing good practice and guidance from the NHS and third sector. This has been distributed nationally, helping to up-skill staff around the subject of self-harm and outline the importance of providing tailored, meaningful support.

We know the risk of suicide can be higher for prisoners in the early days of custody including for those held on remand. Mandatory actions and guidance for staff on the early days in custody includes the requirement to assess all prisoners of any risk that they might harm themselves on arrival. A staff toolkit helps staff to assess risk effectively and promote supportive conversations in the early days of custody.