Asked by: Lord Bishop of Lichfield (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many deaths by suicide there have been of people in prison in England and Wales for each year in the last decade.
Answered by Lord Timpson - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)
Self-inflicted deaths are any deaths of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life irrespective of intent. This not only includes suicides, but also accidental deaths as a result of the person's own actions.
Year | Self-inflicted deaths 1,2,3,4 |
2015 | 90 |
2016 | 124 |
2017 | 73 |
2018 | 93 |
2019 | 86 |
2020 | 67 |
2021 | 89 |
2022 | 77 |
2023 | 96 |
2024 | 89 |
Data Sources and Quality:
These figures are derived from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System and the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody database. Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, but the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-scale recording system. Although the figures are shown to the last individual the figures may not be accurate to that level.
1 - Deaths in prison custody figures include all deaths of prisoners arising from incidents during prison custody. They include deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) for medical reasons but exclude other types of ROTL where the state has less direct responsibility.
2 - Due to the number of deaths that remain unclassified (awaiting further information) in recent years, and the latest year particularly, caution should be used when comparing with earlier periods.
3 - A proportion of the most recent two years' figures for 'other' deaths are expected to be re-classified as natural causes or self-inflicted deaths.
Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps she plans to take to reduce deaths in custody.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman investigates the deaths of prisoners in custody. The investigations are a vital tool to ensure lessons are learned following deaths in prison and to improve safety outcomes in the future.
We provide individualised support through our case management process for people assessed as at risk of suicide and self-harm. This approach places a strong emphasis on identifying individual risks, triggers and protective factors and having effective care plans in place to record, address and mitigate risks.
All new members of staff with prisoner contact receive training on suicide and self-harm prevention.
We continue to work with Samaritans to provide support in the period following a self-inflicted death in order to reduce the risk of further deaths and for the delivery of the Listener scheme, through which selected prisoners are trained to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners.
Mentions:
1: Kit Malthouse (Con - North West Hampshire) Friend means by “prisoners”. As he knows, not all prisoners are the same. - Speech Link
2: Kit Malthouse (Con - North West Hampshire) We do not deny medical services to prisoners because they are prisoners. - Speech Link
3: Naz Shah (Lab - Bradford West) The majority of our women prisoners are in that position.The suicide rate among the population in England - Speech Link
Asked by: Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat - North Cornwall)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that prisoners are not at risk of harm or violence while serving their sentences.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Safety in prisons is a key priority and we are working hard to make prisons as safe as possible for those who live and work in them.
Safe prisons are vital to enable prisoners to engage in rehabilitative activities that reduce reoffending.
We are supporting prisons to effectively manage individuals who are violent or at risk of self-harm or suicide and providing prison officers with the right tools to do their jobs.
Prisons have a range of physical security measures to counter the smuggling of contraband such as drugs, mobile phones and weapons – that drive prison violence and undermine safety. We have rolled out over 13,000 Body Worn Video Cameras across adult public sector prisons which means that every Band 3-5 officer has access to a camera whilst on shift.
All new members of staff with prisoner contact receive training on suicide and self-harm prevention, and violence reduction. In addition, a violence reduction, and a gangs and harmful group behaviour training module are available to help staff better understand the drivers of violence and how to mitigate and manage these risks. All staff who undertake key roles relating to risk assessment and case management for those at a raised risk of suicide and self-harm or of being violent also receive specific training relating to these roles.
Apr. 23 2025
Source Page: Residential services: PSI 75/2011Found: services: PSI 75/2011 Guidance for prisons on what facilities, services and support to provide prisoners
Apr. 23 2025
Source Page: Residential services: PSI 75/2011Found: services: PSI 75/2011 Guidance for prisons on what facilities, services and support to provide prisoners
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce incidence of self harm on the secure estate.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
We recognise that rates of self-harm across the estate are high, and we are taking action to address this.
We provide individualised support through our case management process for people assessed as at risk of self-harm. This approach places a strong emphasis on identifying individual risks, triggers and protective factors and having effective care plans in place to record, address and mitigate risks.
All new staff receive suicide and self-harm prevention and mental health awareness training, to increase skills in supporting at-risk prisoners.
We fund Samaritans to train prisoners to provide emotional support to other prisoners in crisis (the Listener Scheme).
Asked by: Ayoub Khan (Independent - Birmingham Perry Barr)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many and what proportion of (a) prison and (b) probation staff have undertaken suicide prevention training.
Answered by Nicholas Dakin - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
All new prison officers receive training in suicide and self-harm prevention as part of their seven-week Foundation training course.
For existing prison staff, there is a dedicated training module on suicide and self-harm. The training provides an understanding as to the context of self-harm and suicide within prisons, as well as the purpose and implementation of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) process which is used to support prisoners identified as being at risk of suicide or self-harm.
Responsibility for delivering this training sits locally with prisons, therefore it is not possible to accurately assess the overall numbers who have received this training, due to local variations in how training is recorded.
There are two suicide prevention learning packages for Probation Staff as part of the current core national offer. One is a Zero Suicide Alliance package for all staff. The other is a package aimed at new entrant learners undertaking Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) and new Probation Service Officers which was developed internally as part of a broader Introduction to Mental Health.
The Introduction to Mental Health learning is designated as required for those undertaking the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP) and new Probation Service Officers (PSOs) in sentence management, both in custody and the community and is also accessed by established staff. The product contains knowledge modules around suicide and self-harm awareness.
The core national offer referenced is a comprehensive learning package which was recently introduced. Staff who were in post prior to this would have completed other core learning programmes.
It is important to note that whilst we collate completion figures for the current core learning, this does not represent the totality of suicide and self-harm prevention learning received by staff.
This is due to regionally organised activities and previous learning opportunities where data is not nationally held.
Mentions:
1: Baroness Burt of Solihull (LD - Life peer) I have been told that half of prisoners cannot access courses. - Speech Link
2: Lord Carter of Haslemere (XB - Life peer) The report shows that nine IPP prisoners took their lives while in custody in 2023. - Speech Link
3: Lord German (LD - Life peer) has led to 86 prisoners taking their own lives. - Speech Link
4: Lord Ponsonby of Shulbrede (Lab - Life peer) First, the noble Lord, Lord Moylan, asked how many IPP prisoners will never be released. - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Constance, Angela (SNP - Almond Valley) While every single suicide is a tragedy, the data takes us a step forward in improving transparency and - Speech Link
2: McNeill, Pauline (Lab - Glasgow) Does the cabinet secretary agree that the state has a responsibility to keep prisoners safe while they - Speech Link
3: Chapman, Maggie (Green - North East Scotland) She mentioned observation cells and the overhaul of the talk to me suicide prevention strategy. - Speech Link