Howard League responds to safety in custody statistics

Rates of self-harm and assaults are soaring in prisons, official data seen by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal today (Thursday 25 July).

A statistical bulletin, published by the Ministry of Justice, shows that prisons recorded 73,804 incidents of self-harm in the 12 months to the end of March 2024, at a rate of one every seven minutes. The rate of self-harm incidents rose by a staggering 25% in men’s prisons and fell by 4% in women’s prisons.

In the most recent quarter, the rate of self-harm was up 9%, with a 2% increase in male establishments and a 29% increase in female establishments.

Over the same period, prisons recorded 28,292 assaults – a 19% rise in rate on the figures for the previous 12 months. This included an 18% increase in the rate of serious assaults and a 24% rise in the rate of assaults on staff.

Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “These shocking statistics tell us why the new government was absolutely right to take steps to ease pressure on the prison population, and why further action will be needed to change prisons for the better.

“Much of the focus of policy has been on the crisis of prison capacity, with the number of available cells at the foremost of people’s minds. These figures remind us that there is a crisis of human misery behind bars too.

“Exposing people to environments of rising violence and mental distress will do nothing to turn their lives around and away from crime. This is exactly why the Prime Minister was correct to describe the prison system as ‘broken’.

“We can do much better than this. The Howard League has published a range of possible solutions for ministers to consider and we stand ready to help the government in its prison reform agenda.”

Notes to editors

1. The Howard League for Penal Reform is the oldest penal reform charity in the world. It is a national charity working for less crime, safer communities and fewer people in prison.
2. A briefing outlining policy options, Grasping the nettle: Options for a lasting solution to the prison capacity crisis, can be found on the Howard League website at: https://howardleague.org/publications/grasping-the-nettle-options-for-a-lasting-solution-to-the-prison-capacity-crisis/
3. The Ministry of Justice statistical bulletin, Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales: Deaths in Prison Custody to June 2024 Assaults and Self-harm to March 2024, can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-march-2024

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Noor Khan

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