Statement by The View on recent statistics released by Ministry of Justice

The View condemns the unacceptable rise of death in custody following the publication of the Ministry of Justice Safety in Custody Statistics: Quarterly Update to September 2021 

The Ministry of Justice Safety in Custody Statistics September 2021 report found that there was an increase in deaths in prisons from the 12 months to December 2021. The report states that there were 371 deaths in prisons, an increase of 17% from 318 deaths in the last 12 months. 86% of deaths were due to self-harm, this  represents a 28% increase from the 67 self-inflicted deaths in the past 12 months. In the most recent quarter, there were 84 deaths, a 29% increase from the 65 deaths in the previous quarter.  For a table ofIn the most recent quarter, there were 84 deaths, a 29% increase from the 65 deaths in the previous quarter.  For a table of the names of women who have died and the reasons why in the women’s prison estate see Appendix 1 

In the 12 months to September 2021, there were 52,726 self-harm incidents in the prison system. The rate of self-harm is per 1000 prisoners. There were 86 self-inflicted deaths in the latest year, increasing 67 in the previous year. In male establishments, self-harm incidents were down 11% from previous months. In female prisons, self-harm increased 5% over the last 12 months to September 2021. The total prison population has decreased since the first quarter of 2020, with the female prison population having reduced by 12%. With such a significant reduction in 2020, there is no reason for such a massive escalation  in  self-harm incidents and deaths in female prisons. Why then, if fewer women  are being incarcerated, is The Ministry of Justice continuing with its plan to build 500 more prison places for women? We urge them to reconsider this scheme, urgently. 

Chairwoman of  The View’s board, criminal defence solicitor Seama Kapoor, states, “The recently published statistics of deaths in custody is truly shocking. Prisons shouldn’t be a place of complacency when prisoners suffer from self-harm and suicidal ideation. Their cries for help should be viewed as a high priority with swift intervention and an identified point of crisis referral to the hospital wing. There should be an on site consultant psychiatrist who can evaluate the prisoner so a referral can be made for the transfer to a hospital, so adequate treatment and facilities are readily available. 

Prison officers should undergo an accredited mental health awareness programme, and an internal crisis intervention  team should be formed in each prison. Hence, officers would be able to look out for the signs of such desperate behaviour in prisoners who are making a choice to end their lives because their needs have not been addressed or understood. 

Each prison has an allocated consultant psychiatrist, so why are the statistics for women self harming so high; as women in prison are ignored and left to their own devices, which can cause enduring damage and in some cases, can prove fatal. For change to take place, the government needs to take these statistics seriously and not bury their heads in the sand.”

Hema Vyas, the Health and Wellbeing member on the Board of The View is a leading psychologist and she adds, “There are many impactful tools and technologies available to support positive changes in mindset and nowadays they are more widely available than ever. Shifts in thinking and feeling are possible, even when related to deeply held patterns and trauma. Sometimes all that is needed is for somebody to be met with compassion and awareness. Statistics such as these show us that something needs to change in how we support women in custody, as a matter of urgency. There are many stories of women who have connected with their inner resources as a result of their time in custody, who are better able to meet life with a wider perspective. In my opinion, pathways for this kind of support need to be provided for women as a given and at scale in order to affect positive and meaningful change.”

About The View

Established in January 2020, by three formerly incarcerated women, The View is the leading platform for penal reform, by and for women in the justice system. We publish a quarterly magazine  and pay women for their contributions  of poems, stories and art,  calling for radical decarceration and the abolition of prison sentences for women who are not a risk to themselves or to society. 

Prisons are a toxic drain on society and our precious resources. Prisons damage women’s lives, their children’s lives and these punitive, entrenched systems cause intergenerational trauma and devastation to prisoners’ children and communities. Prison has become the place to discard women society does not approve of, rather than a place to contain or manage risk and ensure public protection.

 The View’s #StopThe500 Campaign aims to stop the 500 new prison places the government is planning to build for women to increase capacity in the women’s estate, contrary to its stated policy of decreasing female incarceration. 

Ministry of Justice Safety in Custody Statistics: Quarterly Update to September 2021:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/safety-in-custody-quarterly-update-to-september-2021/safety-in-custody-statistics-england-and-wales-deaths-in-prison-custody-to-december-2021-assaults-and-self-harm-to-september-2021