Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Bellamy on 30 January (HL1617), how many prisoners serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence (1) took their own life, or (2) died from other causes, in 2023 while on non-medical release on temporary license.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

In 2023, no prisoners serving an imprisonment for public protection (IPP) sentence took their own life or died from other causes while on non-medical release on temporary license.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people with epilepsy have died in prison (a) from all causes and (b) as a direct result of their epilepsy in the last ten years.

Answered by Edward Argar - Minister of State (Ministry of Justice)

The information requested could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners. All deaths in prison custody are subject to a coroner’s inquest.

The HMPPS National Health and Safety Arrangements for First and Emergency Aid (publishing.service.gov.uk) require each prison to complete a first aid needs assessment, taking account of local risk and demand. All sites must have in place suitable numbers of adequately trained staff, equipment, and facilities to meet the need for first aid provision. First Aid training provided to prison staff – such as the course provided by St Johns Ambulance, which includes a wide range of topics, including how to deal with epileptic seizures – meets the standard required to comply with the Health and Safety (First Aid) Regulations.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many prisoners serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence (1) took their own life, or (2) died from other causes, in 2023.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners

We have implemented a revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) case management approach across the prison estate which is used to support people at risk of suicide or self-harm in prison. Revisions in ACCT v6 include: a stronger emphasis on taking a person-centred approach; better multi-disciplinary team working; a consistent quality assurance process and an improved focus on identifying and addressing an individual’s risks, triggers and protective factors.
To support the implementation of ACCT v6 we are developing and introducing a new safety training package for staff (called Safety Support Skills training). It brings together related safety topics, including suicide and self-harm prevention, understanding risks, triggers and protective factors, and encourages a joined-up approach to prison safety.
We have also worked with Samaritans to develop a postvention response to providing support in the period following a self-inflicted death in order to reduce the risk of further deaths. This has been implemented across the adult male estate, and the roll out of an adapted version of the approach in the women’s estate will shortly be completed. Our grant to Samaritans includes funding for this service to be maintained until March 2025.

In 2023, 17 prisoners serving an imprisonment for public protection sentence died in custody, 9 of these were classified as self-inflicted deaths.

(1) Deaths in prison custody figures include all deaths of prisoners arising from incidents during prison custody. They include deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) for medical reasons but exclude other types of ROTL where the state has less direct responsibility.
(2) An indeterminate sentence of Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) was introduced in 2005. It was intended for high risk prisoners considered ‘dangerous’ but whose offence did not merit a life sentence. The number of prisoners held on this sentence increased initially and the increase was offset by reductions elsewhere

(3) Figures include incidents at HMPPS run Immigration Removal Centres and during contracted out escorts. Figures do not include incidents at Medway STC

(4) The self-inflicted deaths category includes a wider range of deaths than suicides. When comparing figures with other sources it is important to determine whether the narrower suicide or broader self-inflicted deaths approach is in use.

Data Sources and Quality
These figures are derived from the HMPPS Deaths in Prison Custody database. As classification of deaths may change following inquest or as new information emerges, numbers may change from time to time.

Please note that all deaths in prison custody are subject to a coroner’s inquest. It is the responsibility of the coroner to determine the cause of death. The HMPPS system for classifying deaths provides a provisional classification for administrative and statistical purposes. The final classification is only determined at inquest. Figures dependent on classification of deaths should therefore be treated as provisional.

It remains a priority for this Government that all those serving the IPP sentence receive the support they need to progress towards safe release from custody or, where they are being supervised on licence in the community, towards having their licence terminated altogether. In that respect, the Lord Chancellor, announced on 28 November 2023, this Government is taking changes forward in the Victims and Prisoners Bill to reform legislation relating to the termination of the licence for IPP offenders by making amendments to section 31A of the Crime (Sentences) Act 1997.

The new measure, subject to the views of Parliament, will:
a. reduce the qualifying period which triggers the duty of the Secretary of State to refer an IPP licence to the Parole Board for termination from ten years to three years;
b. include a clear statutory presumption that the IPP licence will be terminated by the Parole Board at the end of the three-year qualifying period;
c. introduce a provision that will automatically terminate the IPP licence two years after the three-year qualifying period, in cases where the Parole Board has not terminated the licence, so long as the offender is not recalled in that period; and
d. introduce a power to amend the qualifying period by Statutory Instrument;

The Government was particularly persuaded by the Justice Select Committee’s (JSC) recommendation to reduce the qualifying licence period from 10 years to five years – a recommendation in their IPP inquiry report published on 28 September 2022. We are going further: reducing the period to three years. These amendments will restore greater proportionality to IPP sentences by reducing the qualifying period to three years and providing a clear pathway to a definitive end to the licence and, therefore, the sentence.

The safety workstream will actively support Prisons to deliver improvements to safety of those serving an IPP sentence. We plan to;
• Continue to raise staff awareness of the heightened risk of self-harm, suicide and violence of IPP prisoners.
• Monitor, analyse and share any changing or emerging trends in published IPP prisoner data to inform and update guidance where appropriate

• Share internal and external learning, initiatives and communications to inform and enable prisons to support IPP prisoners at risk of self-harm, suicide and violence.
• Develop and pilot a IPP safety toolkit, based on positive practice, to support prisons to improve their approach to IPP prisoners and encourage local innovation.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask His Majesty's Government how many deaths were recorded of people serving a sentence of Detention for Public Protection in each year since 2005; and of those, how many were classified as (1) homicide, (2) natural causes, (3) self-inflicted, or (4) other.

Answered by Lord Bellamy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

The total number of deaths that were recorded of people serving a sentence of Detention for Public Protection in each year since 2005 under the above classifications, was two or fewer. We cannot provide further specificity without a risk of breaching our confidentiality obligations by disclosing additional information about identifiable individuals who have died. Please also note that:

• The underlying data includes deaths within the youth estate and during contracted out escorts.
• The underlying data is derived from matching between HMPPS deaths data and Public Protection Unit Database (PPUD) data. A total of 13 prisoners identified in the PPUD data did not have an associated National Offender Management Information System (NOMIS) identifier. Additionally, this only includes individuals identified in NOMIS as serving IPP or DPP sentences, and also as serving a DPP sentence in PPUD data – the underlying data is an estimate based on these two sources and as inconsistencies in recording between these two sources exist it should be treated with caution.
• The underlying data has been drawn from administrative IT systems which, as with any large scale recording system, are subject to possible errors with data entry and processing.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how much his Department spent on legal representation for prisons and probation staff at inquests on deaths in prison in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

The information requested is not held centrally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what estimate he has made of how many Prevention of Future Death reports his Department has received from coroners relating to deaths in prison in the last three years; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the (a) collation, (b) review and (c) implementation of the recommendations of those reports.

Answered by Damian Hinds - Minister of State (Education)

Prevention of Future Death (PFD) reports are published on the Courts and Tribunals Judiciary, available at the following link: Reports to Prevent Future Deaths - Courts and Tribunals Judiciary.

The low number of PFD reports received in 2020/21 is due to the lower number of inquests held due to the Covid-19 pandemic, resulting in a higher number of reports received when restrictions were lifted in 2021/22.

All PFD reports arising from inquests into deaths in public sector prisons are handled by a central casework team which works with senior staff at the prison at which the death occurred, and where relevant those responsible for policy within HMPPS and/or MoJ, to draft a response. The response is agreed by the governor and is signed off by the Director General of Operations who responds to the coroner in each case.

The response explains the action that has been taken to address the matter of concern identified by the coroner and/or describes measures that are being introduced to provide assurance that such action has been effective and that consistent compliance with policy is being achieved. Depending on the nature of the concern this may include actions such as issuing reminders and/or providing refresher training to staff and/or the introduction of additional management checks with a follow-up process to address any identified non-compliance.

PFD reports are an important part of our broader system for learning from deaths, which also includes internal early learning reviews and independent investigations by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, and we study all these sources carefully to identify themes to inform improved guidance, regular learning bulletins and the development of our prison safety programme more generally.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the INQUEST report entitled Deaths of racialised people in prison 2015-2022: Challenging racism and discrimination, published on 12 October 2022, if he will make it his policy to pause current plans for prison expansion due to the potential harms prisons can present.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

We have delivered to date over 3,100 additional prison places as part of a significant build programme delivering safe, secure and modern places across the country.

We have done this to protect the public and make the streets safer, meet projected demand from the courts and deliver manifesto commitments. The modern facilities we are delivering will also enable us to provide a safer and more secure custodial environment and to provide more opportunities to intervene and aid prisoners to turn their back on crime.

We are committed to improving outcomes for those from ethnic minority backgrounds. In March 2022, we published our response to the Commission on Race and Ethnic Disparities report and committed to 74 actions across Government for a more inclusive and integrated society, including in relation to criminal justice.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the INQUEST report entitled Deaths of racialised people in prison 2015-2022: Challenging racism and discrimination, published on 12 October 2022, for what reason his Department's Safety in custody statistics do not disaggregate deaths in prison by the (a) category of death and (b) ethnicity of the prisoner; and if he will make it his policy to include such data in future.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners. As the INQUEST report acknowledges, the number of deaths of prisoners from minority ethnic groups is not disproportionate to their representation in the prison population. All deaths are investigated thoroughly and impartially by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, which operates independently of the Ministry of Justice. Racism and discrimination are not tolerated in our prisons, and we take strong action to ensure the fair, equal and decent treatment of all prisoners and staff.

Data on the category of death and ethnicity of the prisoner is collected in all cases. Until now, we have published the ethnicity breakdown for self-inflicted deaths only but we will keep this under review.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the INQUEST report entitled Deaths of racialised people in prison 2015-2022: Challenging racism and discrimination, published on 12 October 2022, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the conclusions of that report; and if he will make a statement.

Answered by Mike Freer - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Ministry of Justice)

Every death in custody is a tragedy and we continue to do all we can to improve the safety of prisoners. As the INQUEST report acknowledges, the number of deaths of prisoners from minority ethnic groups is not disproportionate to their representation in the prison population. All deaths are investigated thoroughly and impartially by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman, which operates independently of the Ministry of Justice. Racism and discrimination are not tolerated in our prisons, and we take strong action to ensure the fair, equal and decent treatment of all prisoners and staff.

Data on the category of death and ethnicity of the prisoner is collected in all cases. Until now, we have published the ethnicity breakdown for self-inflicted deaths only but we will keep this under review.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many deaths have occurred in custody in each prison in Wales in each year since 2019.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. Data on deaths in custody from 2019 onwards, broken down by establishment, is available in section 1.13 of the Deaths in Custody 1978-2021 table, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals sentenced to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) since 2005 died whilst (1) serving their sentence, or (2) whilst out on licence in the community; and what were the causes of death in each case.

Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar

A total of 231 prisoners have died in custody while serving an Imprisonment for Public Protection sentence. Their causes of death are set out in the attached table. This data runs from January 2005 to December 2021.

The Government does not hold collated data about the deaths of offenders on licence in the community. I regret that the data requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Every death in prison custody and the community is a tragedy that deeply affects families, staff and other prisoners. We are committed to doing all we can to prevent deaths in prison custody and of offenders under supervision.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what were the 10 principal causes of death of those prisoners who died while in women's prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all deaths in custody up to December 2021 is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends, at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Those statistics are broken down by whether the death was self-inflicted, from natural causes, or from other non-natural causes, or by homicide. They also show the number of ‘awaiting further information’ cases where the cause of death cannot yet be ascertained and remains under investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman or a coroner.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what were the 10 principal causes of death of those prisoners who died while in men's prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all deaths in custody up to December 2021 is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends, at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Those statistics are broken down by whether the death was self-inflicted, from natural causes, or from other non-natural causes, or by homicide. They also show the number of ‘awaiting further information’ cases where the cause of death cannot yet be ascertained and remains under investigation by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman or a coroner.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many prisoners died while in prisons in England and Wales as a percentage of the total prison population in each of the last five years.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all deaths in custody, up to December 2021, broken down by category including gender is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Department also publishes figures concerning the rate of deaths per 1,000 prisoners (based on the average prison population at the end of each month within the 12-month period). Please see section 1.1 of the Deaths in Custody 1978-2021 table.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many female prisoners died while in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all deaths in custody, up to December 2021, broken down by category including gender is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Department also publishes figures concerning the rate of deaths per 1,000 prisoners (based on the average prison population at the end of each month within the 12-month period). Please see section 1.1 of the Deaths in Custody 1978-2021 table.

Question to the Ministry of Justice:

To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many male prisoners died while in prisons in England and Wales in each of the last five years.

Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care

The Department publishes statistics concerning deaths in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all deaths in custody, up to December 2021, broken down by category including gender is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends at: Safety in custody: quarterly update to September 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The Department also publishes figures concerning the rate of deaths per 1,000 prisoners (based on the average prison population at the end of each month within the 12-month period). Please see section 1.1 of the Deaths in Custody 1978-2021 table.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many individuals sentenced to Imprisonment for Public Protection (IPP) since 2005 died whilst serving their sentence in a secure hospital; and what were the causes of death in each case.

Answered by Lord Kamall

The information requested is not collected.

Found: country-information-report-myanmar.pdf and https://www.hrw.org/news/2022/12/05/myanmar-junta-sentences- 10-prisoners-death

Found: country-information-report-myanmar.pdf and https://www.hrw.org/ news/2022/12/05/myanmar-junta-sentences-10-prisoners-death