Newly published statistics by the Ministry of Justice have revealed a 30% rise in the number of prison deaths over the past year. A total of 411 deaths in prison were recorded in the 12 months to September 2025 – 96 of them self-inflicted.  Six homicides were recorded in the same time period. ( On average, there are usually between 0 – 3 homicides per calendar year) .

76,148 incidents of self-harm were recorded in the 12 months to June 2025 – a rate of one every seven minutes. Over the same period, prisons recorded 31,268 assaults – a seven per cent rise on the figures for the previous 12 months. Assaults on staff also reached a record high, with 10,477 incidents recorded.

Andrew Neilson, Director of Campaigns at the Howard League for Penal Reform, commented:

With problems in the prison system recently hitting the headlines, these safety in custody figures spell out the everyday failure presided over by the government. Prisons remain unsafe and mired in distress and misery. 

This matters to all of us as exposing people to violence and despair is no way to prepare individuals for a crime-free life on release. The Sentencing Bill is now before Parliament and aims to reduce pressure on our overcrowded prisons. That is a welcome first step but far more must be done to turn this failing system around.

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