01 January 2009
The Ministry of Justice has announced today that there were 61 apparent self-inflicted deaths among prisoners in England and Wales in 2008.
Shahid Malik, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Justice said:
'Each and every death is a personal tragedy for all those who are left behind. Any reduction in the number of self-inflicted deaths in our prisons is very welcome news.
'This year saw the lowest number of self-inflicted deaths since 1996 and, while there is never any room for complacency in our work to prevent these deaths, it is important to recognise the good work of all those who continue to care for the most vulnerable prisoners in our custody. The government remains fully committed to reducing deaths in custody.'
On any one day, prisons keep safe over 1,500 people assessed as being at particular risk of suicide or self harm. These and many more prisoners are helped and cared for by prison staff, third sector partners and other prisoners - trusted 'Listeners' trained by the Samaritans to provide confidential emotional support to others.
Michael Spurr, Chief Operating Officer of the National Offender Management Service said:
'Thanks and recognition are owed to all those who demonstrate their care and professionalism in looking after our vulnerable prisoners on a daily basis. It is essential we continue to improve our learning from these tragic events and to ensure that emerging best practice is developed and shared.
'That this reduction has been achieved to the backdrop of the challenging operational environment is testimony to our commitment to reducing deaths in custody. This work remains a priority for us in 2009.'
Stephen Shaw CBE, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, commented:
'Each death in custody is a tragedy and my Office carries out independent investigations to find out what happened. The bereaved family are invited to ask any questions. I know that the Prison Service takes the safety of prisoners very seriously and I too am pleased that the number who died in 2008 is lower than last year. Finally I am confident that the Prison Service will continue to act on my recommendations which also contribute to keeping prisoners safe.'
Notes to editors
1. The numbers of self-inflicted deaths in prison custody can vary considerably. Rises and falls from one year to the next are not good indicators of underlying trends. The most reliable guide to trends is the three-year average annual rate which is currently about 91 per 100,000 of population (lower compared to 101 for the three years ending December 2007).
Table 1: Self-inflicted deaths in prison custody (England and Wales) by gender
| Gender | Male | Female | Total | Population | Rate/100k |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 57 | 2 | 59 | 51084 | 115 |
| 1996 | 62 | 3 | 65 | 55256 | 118 |
| 1997 | 65 | 3 | 68 | 61467 | 111 |
| 1998 | 80 | 3 | 83 | 65727 | 126 |
| 1999 | 86 | 5 | 91 | 64529 | 141 |
| 2000 | 73 | 8 | 81 | 65194 | 124 |
| 2001 | 67 | 6 | 73 | 66403 | 110 |
| 2002 | 86 | 9 | 95 | 71218 | 133 |
| 2003 | 80 | 14 | 94 | 73657 | 128 |
| 2004 | 82 | 13 | 95 | 74488 | 128 |
| 2005 | 74 | 4 | 78 | 76190 | 102 |
| 2006 | 64 | 3 | 67 | 77962 | 86 |
| 2007 | 84 | 8 | 92 | 80689 | 114 |
| 2008 | 60 | 1 | 61 | 83240 | 73 |
Table 2: Self-inflicted deaths in prison custody (England and Wales) by age band
| Age band | Under 18s | 18-20 | 21+ | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1995 | 1 | 7 | 51 | 59 |
| 1996 | 1 | 11 | 53 | 65 |
| 1997 | 1 | 8 | 59 | 68 |
| 1998 | 3 | 11 | 69 | 83 |
| 1999 | 2 | 13 | 76 | 91 |
| 2000 | 3 | 13 | 65 | 81 |
| 2001 | 3 | 10 | 60 | 73 |
| 2002 | 2 | 12 | 81 | 95 |
| 2003 | 0 | 11 | 83 | 94 |
| 2004 | 0 | 6 | 89 | 95 |
| 2005 | 2 | 10 | 66 | 78 |
| 2006 | 0 | 2 | 65 | 67 |
| 2007 | 1 | 6 | 85 | 92 |
| 2008 | 0 | 4 | 57 | 61 |
2. Prisoner 'self-inflicted deaths' include all deaths where it appears that a prisoner has acted specifically to take their own life. Approximately 80% of these deaths receive a suicide or open verdict at inquest.
3. Revised Prison Service Order 2700 (Suicide Prevention and Self-Harm Management) was published in October 2007 and implementation was completed in April 2008. Building on several years of learning from the experience of prisoners, staff, investigators, inspectors and others, it incorporates developments such as the introduction of Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT), improved cross-agency information flows, and integrated local Safer Custody Teams pursuing a continuous improvement plan in each prison. Also reflected are longstanding areas of safer custody work such as peer supporters (Listeners and Insiders) and work with outside organisations such as the Samaritans and Childline
4. ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) is the care planning system for prisoners at risk of suicide or self-harm, introduced across the prisons estate in partnership with the Department of Health during 2005-07. ACCT aims to improve the quality of care by introducing individual/flexible care-planning, supported by improved staff training in case management and in assessing and understanding at-risk prisoners.
5. The new Ministerial Council on Preventing Deaths in Custody will start its work in April 2009. It will comprise three tiers. The Ministerial Council which will be chaired by Shahid Malik, Under Secretary of State for Justice. The Ministerial Council will be advised by the Independent Advisory Panel which will be chaired by Lord Toby Harris. The final tier will be ad hoc working groups commissioned by the IAP and made up of experts and practitioners.
6. Learning from deaths in custody is a key part of the prisoner suicide prevention strategy. Since 1 April 2004, all deaths in prison custody have been investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, Stephen Shaw. The Ombudsman's investigators and family liaison officers carry out independent investigations which also address any issues raised by the bereaved family.