Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people (a) on probation and (b) engaging with probation services have died since 2010; and how many of these deaths cited suicide as the official cause of death.

The number of people who died while under probation supervision in the community is published annually in Table 1 of the ‘Deaths of offenders in the community’ statistical bulletin. The latest release, which includes data from April 2010 up to March 2024, is available at the following link: Deaths of offenders in the community, annual update to March 2024 - GOV.UK.

Each death is categorised based on its apparent cause, as reported by the probation provider to HM Prison and Probation Service (HMPPS). It is important to note that this classification system provides a provisional categorisation for administrative and statistical purposes and has not been independently verified. The official cause of death is determined by the coroner. Consequently, while the apparent cause of death in this bulletin reflects the classification made at the time of reporting, it may not reflect the official cause of death as determined by the coroner.

The category of ‘suicide’ is not used in the published statistics because it is not always clear whether a self-inflicted death is intentional or not. Instead, the broader category of ‘self-inflicted’ deaths is used. In years prior to April 2022, this category includes all self-inflicted deaths, irrespective of intent (intentional, unintentional, and undetermined intent). From April 2022, it includes only intentional self-inflicted deaths and deaths where intent is undetermined.

The number of people engaging with probation services that have died since 2010 could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.