INQUEST Responds to New Statistics on Deaths and Self-Harm in Prisons : The Ministry of Justice on the 29 October 2020 released the latest statistics on deaths and self-harm in prison. The safety in custody statistics show every five days a person in prison takes their life and across all prisons self-harm is at the highest level for seven years. The Ministry of Justice report that in the 12 months to June 2020, there were 61,153 self-harm incidents in prisons, equivalent to 167 incidents per day. Statistics in the children’s estate showed that rate of self-harm was as high as 1,643 incidents per 1,000 children aged 15 to 17.
In the 12 months to September 2020, a total of 282 people died in prison (an 8% decrease from last year), around five deaths every week. This is the fifth consecutive year that the rate of deaths per 1,000 prisoners has been at 3.5 or above. Of these deaths: 70 deaths were self-inflicted, a decrease from 91 in the previous 12 months. 174 deaths were classed as ‘natural causes’, a 4% increase. INQUEST casework and monitoring shows many of these deaths are in fact premature and far from ‘natural’. 26 deaths were confirmed as COVID-19 related, all of which took place before July. 36 deaths were recorded as ‘other’, 27 of which are awaiting classification. Eight deaths were in women’s prisons. Two deaths were homicides.
These figures come only days after HM Inspectorate of Prisons noted in their annual report that the apparent levelling off in self-harm in the early stages of the COVID-19 crisis was not properly analysed or explained, and some even tried to argue that longer periods locked in cells did not contribute to levels of self-harm. Chief Inspector Peter Clarke stated that such ‘superficial commentary’ should be treated with ‘extreme caution’, this casts doubt on the reliability of today’s figures.
Read more: INQUEST, https://is.gd/eH06fy
