Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government what records they keep on the number of (1) suicides, and (2) attempted suicides, in prisons in England and Wales; whether, and if so where, those records are published; and how they utilise those records to track health and well-being outcomes in each prison where such records are kept.

The data on self-inflicted deaths and self-harm across the prison estates is recorded in our published Safety in Custody Statistics. The number and rates of deaths and self-harm across the estate is published quarterly in the Safety in Custody Summary Tables, the latest version of which can be found at: Safety-in-custody-summary-q1-2024_final_table.xlsx (live.com).

HMPPS does not produce official statistics on suicides or attempted suicides, because it is not always known whether a person engaging in self-harming behaviour intends or intended to die by suicide. We therefore collect data on self-inflicted deaths (a term that we use to refer to any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life irrespective of intent) and on incidents of self-harm.

This national data informs the development of the prison safety programme, and governors use local data to understand their populations and their safety risks and to inform their safety strategies. Each prison holds a regular safety meeting that includes discussion of the local self-harm data and learning from any self-inflicted deaths that have occurred there.

Individuals assessed as at risk of suicide and self-harm are given individualised support through our case management process. This approach places a strong emphasis on having effective care plans in place to record, address and mitigate risks.