Prisons and Youth Custody: Coronavirus

(asked on 10th June 2020) - View Source

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the number of covid-19 related deaths was for (a) inmates and (b) staff in each (i) prison, (ii) youth offending institution, (iii) secure training centre and (iv) other secure units in (A) Wales and (B) England as at 15 June 2020; and if she will publish a weekly update of those figures.


Answered by
Lucy Frazer Portrait
Lucy Frazer
Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport
This question was answered on 19th June 2020

The Government has put robust measures in place to protect staff and offenders from COVID-19 and introduce ‘compartmentalisation’, to isolate those prisoners with symptoms, shield the vulnerable and quarantine new arrivals.

The tables below show the number of prisoners and prison staff who have sadly died having tested positive for COVID-19 or having shown symptoms. It is a matter for coroners to determine a cause of death. The data in the tables is correct as of Friday 12 June 2020.

Establishment

Number of prisoner deaths

HMP/YOI Altcourse

2

HMP/YOI Bedford

1

HMP/YOI Belmarsh

1

HMP Berwyn

1

HMP Channings Wood

2

HMP Durham

1

HMP Gartree

1

HMP Leicester

1

HMP Littlehey

3

HMP/YOI Low Newton

1

HMP/YOI Manchester

1

HMP/YOI New Hall

1

HMP Oakwood

1

HMP/YOI Peterborough

1

HMP Rye Hill

1

HMP/YOI Sudbury

1

HMP Usk

1

HMP Whatton

1

HMP Winchester

1

Total

23

Establishment

Number of prison staff deaths

HMP Dovegate

1

HMP/YOI Hollesley Bay

1

HMP/YOI Manchester

1

HMP/YOI Pentonville

2

HMP Thameside

1

HMP Usk

1

HMP/YOI Wymott

2

Total

9

Sadly, a member of NHS healthcare staff who worked at Rainsbrook Secure Training Centre has also died having tested positive for COVID-19.

We currently publish deaths in custody, within our quarterly Safety in Custody statistics bulletin. The next Safety in Custody statistics bulletin is planned for publication on the 30th July and will include a breakdown of COVID-19 related deaths.

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