Deaths in Prison Custody

Ministry of Justice Statistics January 2017

The Ministry of Justice has released the figures for Deaths in prison and rates by apparent cause by calendar year since 1978 for England and Wales. I have summarised the figures given at 5 years intervals.

Year	Population	Total deaths	Homicides	Natural Causes	Self - inflicted	Others *
1978	41,796	59	5	34	16		4
1982	43,707	61	0	32	27		2
1987	48,426	81	0	35	46		0
1992	44,719	81	3	34	41		3
1997	61,114	118	2	47	68		1
2002	70778	164	0	66	95		3
2007	80,216	185	1	89	91		4
2012	86,634	192	0	123	61		8
2016	85,348	354	3	196	119		36

*Others (a category including other non- natural and awaiting further information)

• Over a period of 36 years the prison population had doubled.
• In the 5 years between 1992 and 1997 there was roughly a 50% increase in the prison population.
• Between 2012 and 2016 total number of deaths nearly doubled.
• Between 2007 and 2016 the number of deaths by natural causes more than doubled, reflecting greater numbers of elderly prisoners in custody, longer and more indeterminate sentences.
• In the four year period 2012 and 2016 self-inflicted deaths have nearly doubled.
• In recent years there has been a 40% reduction in the number of prison officers, most of which have been experienced, long serving members of staff.
• The primary responsibility of the state, having taken away the rights of an individual, is to adequately care for them; clearly the state is falling down on this task.

Francis Boylan, Chair PPEG, Criminal Justice Ministry of Justice Statistics January 2017