Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the (1) number, and (2) ratio, of prisoners held on remand in England who have (a) committed suicide, and (b) attempted to commit suicide, in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
The table below sets out the number of self-inflicted deaths of remand prisoners in the ten years to December 2021. It also shows the percentage of all such deaths that were of remand prisoners.
Our figures refer to self-inflicted deaths, rather than suicides. Self-inflicted deaths include any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life, irrespective of intent. This includes not only suicides but also accidental deaths as a result of the person’s own actions. We use this classification because we cannot always know whether someone intended to take their own life. Those are ultimately decisions for coroners, who investigate all deaths in custody. For similar reasons, we cannot identify “attempted suicides” separately from other forms of self-harm, as we may not know the prisoner’s intention.
HM Prison & Probation Service does not operate a different approach to the prevention of suicide and self-harm among remand prisoners. All prisoners at risk of self-harm and suicide are supported equally, regardless of their situation. We recognise that remand is a known risk factor for self-harm and support is tailored to prisoners’ needs, particularly in the early days and weeks of custody. Following the unavoidable closure of courts in response to Covid-19, we are taking positive action to ensure more cases are heard and therefore to reduce the number of remand prisoners. This includes extending 32 nightingale courtrooms this year, installing video link equipment in all courts and increasing its capacity in prisons, removing the limit on Crown Court sitting days during 2021/22, and continuing to give priority to cases involving custody time limits.
Self-inflicted deaths of remand prisoners, 2012 to 2021
year | number of self-inflicted deaths | % of all self-inflicted deaths |
2012 | 18 | 30% |
2013 | 29 | 38% |
2014 | 26 | 29% |
2015 | 36 | 40% |
2016 | 33 | 27% |
2017 | 73 | 21% |
2018 | 27 | 29% |
2019 | 24 | 28% |
2020 | 19 | 28% |
2021 | 32 | 37% |
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what the rate of self-harm was among prisoners in (a) women's prisons and (b) men's prisons in each of the last three years.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The Department publishes statistics on deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in England and Wales in the quarterly Safety in Custody statistics. A spreadsheet containing statistics on all instances of self-harm broken down by category is available, in addition to quarterly bulletins outlining trends at: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics.
Last year, we implemented a revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) multi-disciplinary case management approach to support prisoners at risk of suicide or self-harm. We continue to make the Samaritans phone service available and are working with the Samaritans to ensure that the Listener peer support scheme continues to function effectively.
We are also implementing a new safety training package for staff, which addresses related issues, including suicide and self-harm prevention, understanding risks, triggers and protective factors, and communication skills.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many incidents of self-harm and attempted suicide have been recorded for biologically male transgender prisoners housed in the male estate in each of the last five years.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
These figures have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System, which records the legal gender of prisoners. They are based on snapshot data collections from March 2018, 2019 and 2021. There was no collection in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data is not available for 2017. This is because legal gender did not form part of the central data collection in that year.
In 2017-18 there were 38 assaults and 14 sexual assaults on legally male transgender prisoners in the men’s prison estate. In 2018-19 there were 16 assaults and fewer than 5 sexual assaults. In 2020-21 there were fewer than 5 assaults and fewer than 5 sexual assaults.
In 2017-18 there were 332 self-harm incidents involving legally male transgender prisoners in the men’s prison estate. In 2018-19 there were 159. In 2020-21 there were 228. Data on attempted suicide is not available.
We have trained more than 25,000 staff in suicide and self-harm prevention as part of our drive to tackle these issues, and we continue to develop initiatives to better support people in custody.
Asked by: Tonia Antoniazzi (Labour - Gower)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many biologically male transgender prisoners housed in the male estate have been subjected to assault and to sexual assault in each of the last five years.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
These figures have been drawn from the HMPPS Incident Reporting System, which records the legal gender of prisoners. They are based on snapshot data collections from March 2018, 2019 and 2021. There was no collection in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Data is not available for 2017. This is because legal gender did not form part of the central data collection in that year.
In 2017-18 there were 38 assaults and 14 sexual assaults on legally male transgender prisoners in the men’s prison estate. In 2018-19 there were 16 assaults and fewer than 5 sexual assaults. In 2020-21 there were fewer than 5 assaults and fewer than 5 sexual assaults.
In 2017-18 there were 332 self-harm incidents involving legally male transgender prisoners in the men’s prison estate. In 2018-19 there were 159. In 2020-21 there were 228. Data on attempted suicide is not available.
We have trained more than 25,000 staff in suicide and self-harm prevention as part of our drive to tackle these issues, and we continue to develop initiatives to better support people in custody.
Asked by: Carolyn Harris (Labour - Swansea East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many women known to be pregnant from July 2020 to March 2021, as reported in the HMPPS Annual Digest 2020/21, were under Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) monitoring for risks of self-harm and/or suicide.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
The specific information requested is not collected centrally, and therefore could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
On 20 September the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) published a new policy on pregnancy, Mother and Baby Units and maternal separation from children up to the age of two in women’s prisons, which contains a range of reforms for improving the care of pregnant women. The policy requires increased both local and central data collection on self-declared pregnant women in our care, to ensure individuals are receiving the relevant support and to ensure policy is more informed.
We publish some of this data in the HMPPS Annual Digest of statistical information. We published the first of these on 29 July 2021, which showed that during the period July 2020-April 2021 an average of 26 women self-declared as pregnant each week. Data on how many of these women were subject to Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) or self-declared as pregnant on first reception into custody is not centrally collected, however this data is reviewed locally.
This is a dynamic area of policy and we will continue to consider our central collection as it develops.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the findings of Urgent Notification: HMP & YOI Chelmsford, published by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons on 27 August 2021 that (a) chronic failings at Chelmsford have now been evident for at least a decade and (b) despite serious concerns about the prison’s work to prevent suicide or self-harm being raised in 2018, outcomes had deteriorated further, what steps (i) the Government has taken to ensure progress on those matters in the last five years and (ii) he will take to help ensure the lives of prisoners at HMP Chelmsford are protected.
Answered by Victoria Atkins - Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
We accept that HMP Chelmsford needs to improve and prior to the Urgent Notification, it began receiving specialist support through the Prison Performance Support Programme (PPSP) – which provides intensive support to some of our most challenging prisons.
To date, around £6 million has been invested through the PPSP allowing repairs to address decency, advanced technology to improve security, family ties and additional staffing to support improvement.
We are working hard to reduce self-harm and the number of those taking their lives in custody. Vulnerable prisoners are supported through the ACCT case management and we are currently rolling out further improvements to this framework. We have also given 25,000 new and existing staff self-harm and suicide prevention training to help them better support prisoners with complex needs and refreshed our partnership with the Samaritans who provide the excellent Listeners scheme, which trains selected prisoners to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners.
There is evidence of progress at HMP Chelmsford during 2018/19 and 2019/20, prior to the pandemic. The April 2019 Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) Independent Review of Progress report noted some positive progress including:
“…reasonable progress in addressing violence, supported by additional national and regional resources” as well as “…good progress in improving the quality of care to those at risk [of self-harm].”
It also noted that the “Governor continued to set a clear vision for the prison and had retained the support of those around her” and that “regional and national resources had been used to good effect”.
The report acknowledged the benefits of additional central investment, including complete refurbishment of two landings, new flooring in cells and communal areas, new showers and new serveries. Since the inspection an x-ray body scanner was also installed at the prison – to prevent the flow of illicit items which fuel instability.
An initial detailed plan of action is being developed in response to the Urgent Notification and will include actions beyond those already agreed under the PPSP. This will outline how we are addressing the immediate concerns at the prison and will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service workforce quarterly: June 2021, published on 19 August 2021, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the (a) increase in the leaving rate for Band 3-5 prison officers and (b) fall in the proportion of Band 3-5 prison officers in post with 10 years or more of experience on (i) safety in custody and (ii) rehabilitation of prisoners.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
Having experienced staff is vital to ensuring prisons remain safe, secure and decent and support prisoners to lead crime free lives when they are released. HMPPS recognises the importance of retaining staff and is committed to improving retention. We want prison officers to stay and progress their careers and as such have improved our induction processes to ease transition into the job, provide care and support for our staff and offer additional training. Work to develop clear career paths and professionalise the service continues, and this should provide development and promotion opportunities for our experienced staff.
Keeping our staff safe is of utmost importance. As such we are taking action to improve prison safety and security, alongside reforms to overhaul the system to focus on the rehabilitation of offenders. This includes the rolling out of PAVA (a synthetic pepper spray), Rigid Bar Handcuffs and Body Worn Video Cameras to prison officers across the estate which protect our staff and prisoners as they provide high-quality evidence to support prosecutions. We are also currently developing a new Safety Skills training package which will be delivered to new and existing staff.
As part of the Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model we have introduced a personal key worker for every prisoner. Key workers provide regular personalised support to prisoners to address issues which may lead to violence or self-harm at an early stage. We continue to upskill staff in effective use of ACCT (Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork) and CSIP (Challenge, Support and Intervention Plan), the case management models for reducing suicide and self-harm and violence in prisons.
In the 12 months to March 2021, the number of assaults decreased 40% from the 12 months to March 2021. Prior to the pandemic there was an overall reduction of 8% in assault incidents in the 12 months to March 2020.
Asked by: Janet Daby (Labour - Lewisham East)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what specialist training is given to staff in prisons to handle individuals in custody who are experiencing mental health crises; what the procedure is for assessing the need for use of physical force on those individuals; and whether expert opinions from mental health professionals are sought in dealing with those cases.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
This government takes the mental health needs of prisoners very seriously and to keep them safe and well, prison officers must have the skills, knowledge and confidence to offer support, alongside healthcare professionals.
Improved mental health awareness training has been developed as part of Prison Officer Entry Level Training and refresher training for existing staff. We are currently developing an improved modular safety training package. This includes an enhanced mental health training module, building on the introductory module for staff supporting individuals with complex needs. Resources also include a suicide and self-harm learning tool, developed in partnership with Samaritans, and a range of guidance relating to known risk factors.
Any use of force must be necessary, reasonable and proportionate to the seriousness of the circumstances. A clinical assessment must take place to determine whether the prisoner has capacity. If the prisoner has been assessed as not having capacity, then the Mental Capacity Act 2005 makes provision for the person to be treated and, if necessary, for force or restraint to be used. When considering the options, healthcare/clinical staff will make the decision and liaise closely with prison staff on the level and type of restraint that might be used.
Asked by: Lord Blunkett (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the latest data on the number of prisoners reported to have self-harmed while serving imprisonment for public protection sentences on recall.
Answered by Lord Wolfson of Tredegar
Figures for the number of self-harm incidents by recalled Imprisonment for Public Protection prisoners for each of the past three years are shown below:
2018 = 584
2019 = 743
2020 = 761
We are focussing our efforts to address the levels of self-harm across the prison population, and are under no illusions about the impact of the measures which were put in place to protect lives during the Covid-19 pandemic, so we have made prisoners’ safety and wellbeing our priority.
We have produced a range of products to support Governors in devising and implementing local safety and welfare plans designed to mitigate risks and promote wellbeing. Over 25,000 new and existing staff have received self-harm and suicide prevention training to help them better support prisoners with complex needs. We’ve enabled continued family contact through more than 1,600 secure mobile phones and rolled out secure video call technology into every single prison in the male, female and youth estate. Each prisoner is also currently given additional PIN credit per week. We are also delivering more in cell-activities such as distraction packs, supplementary food packs, and additional educational materials to mitigate the impact of isolation.
We have renewed our partnership with the Samaritans who are providing the excellent Listeners scheme, which trains selected prisoners to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners.
We have prioritised the roll-out of the revised version of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork (ACCT) multi-disciplinary case management system used in prisons to support people at risk of suicide and self-harm.
We have delivered improvements to the way we support, and case manage prisoners throughout their sentences by the significant investment in and changes introduced by the new Offender Management in Custody (OMiC) model. This will provide each prisoner with a dedicated key worker who will be able to better support them and identify concerns at an early stage so that they can receive the right support at the right time.
Asked by: Lyn Brown (Labour - West Ham)
Question to the Ministry of Justice:
To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, with reference to the Report on HMP Exeter by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons, published in March 2021, what steps he is taking to (a) reduce staff turnover, (b) create better relationships between prisoners and staff, (c) address ethnic disparities in the perceptions of staff, and (d) address long-standing deficiencies in the care of prisoners at risk of self-harm or suicide.
Answered by Alex Chalk - Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice
The Ministry of Justice welcomes the findings of HMIP’s scrutiny visit report published 27 April and takes the concerns raised seriously. The Inspectorate found improvements during the pandemic and since their last report, but we recognise that improvement is required.
We are committed to making all our prisons decent and safe for all those who live and work there. Further easing of the restrictions will enable us to work on embedding additional improvements. We will continue to ensure that action is taken to improve conditions for those in our prisons and their outcomes on release.