Revealed: The rising death toll in prisons in England and Wales 

The number of people dying in prisons in England and Wales has risen to the highest level on record, official data seen by the Howard League for Penal Reform reveal today (Thursday 29 January).

A statistical bulletin, published by the Ministry of Justice, shows that 394 people in prison died in 2025 – a 15% increase on the previous year. They included 79 people who died in circumstances recorded as “self-inflicted”. The number of women who died rose to 13, up from nine in 2024.

The total death toll in 2025 exceeds the previous high of 371, which was recorded in 2021 when prisons were effectively in lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Prisons recorded 74,521 incidents of self-harm in the 12 months to the end of September 2025 – a 4.3% decrease on the previous year. The rate of self-harm incidents fell by 3.2% in men’s prisons and fell by 2.8% in women’s prisons.

Over the same period, prisons recorded 31,555 assaults – a 6% rise on the figures for the previous 12 months. The rate of assaults was 83% higher in female establishments than in male establishments.

Andrea Coomber KC (Hon.), Chief Executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “The dire state of our prisons is revealed starkly in today’s figures. When almost 400 people die behind bars in a single year, it is a national scandal – and it overshadows the otherwise encouraging slight decrease in the very high rates of self-harm incidents.

“While the government has taken steps to reduce pressure on the prison population and stabilise regimes, clearly more needs to be done. Further action would save lives, protect staff and help more people to move on from crime.”

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. The Howard League and another charity, Centre for Mental Health, worked together on a joint programme on preventing people losing their lives through suicide in prison. Further information about the programme can be found on the Howard League website at: https://howardleague.org/our-work/transform-prisons/preventing-deaths-in-prison/inquiry-into-preventing-prison-suicides
3. All Howard League correspondence and materials about the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the criminal justice system can be found on the charity’s website at: https://howardleague.org/our-response-to-covid-19-and-prisons/
4. The Ministry of Justice statistical bulletin, Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales: Deaths in Prison Custody to December 2025 Assaults and Self-harm to September 2025, can be accessed online at: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2025/safety-in-custody-statistics-england-and-wales-deaths-in-prison-custody-to-december-2025-assaults-and-self-harm-to-september-2025
5. The table below shows how the number of people dying in prisons in England and Wales has risen since records began in 1978:

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Noor Khan
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