Double digit rises in self-harm and assaults
Worst figures ever – yet again
As you can see from the main points reproduced below, all the key indicators are at extremely worrying levels.
Despite
a sizeable decrease in the number of suicides (down from 115 to 69,
although this figure itself is likely to be revised upwards with 57
deaths waiting further information before being classified), incidents
of self-harm, assaults on staff and on prisoners all reached highest
ever levels.
Deaths
In
the 12 months to March 2018, there were 299 deaths in prison custody, a
decrease of 13% from 344 in the previous year, at a rate of 3.5 deaths
per 1,000 prisoners. The most recent quarter saw the number of deaths
increase to 85, up 3 from the three months to December 2017. Quarterly
death figures should be considered with caution due to greater
volatility and the potential for seasonal effects. Long-term trends and
more detail are presented in annual tables.
There were 69 apparent self-inflicted deaths, down 40% from 115 in the
previous year. On a rate basis this is 0.8 instances per 1,000
prisoners. Within the female estate, there was 1 self-inflicted death at
a rate of 0.3 per 1,000 prisoners, down from 10 incidents in the
previous 12 months. There were 5 apparent homicides, an increase of 2
from the previous year. Homicides in prison custody remain relatively
rare, accounting for around 1% of all deaths over the last ten years.
There were 168 deaths due to natural causes, a decrease of 18% from 204
in the previous year. Natural-cause deaths were at a rate of 2.0 per
1,000 prisoners.
Self-harm
In
the 12 months to December 2017, there were 44,651 reported incidents of
self-harm (a rate of 521 per 1,000 prisoners), up 11% from the previous
year. The number of self-harm incidents requiring hospital attendance
increased by 12% to 3,067. The proportion of incidents that required
hospital attendance remained largely unchanged at 6.9%.
The number of prisoners who self-harmed in the 12 months to December
2017 was 11,630 (a rate of 136 prisoners per 1,000), up 6% from the
previous year, and the highest figure in the time series.
Assaults
There
were 21,270 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in the 12 months to December
2017 (a rate of 248 per 1,000 prisoners), up 11% from the previous year,
and a new record high. The latest quarter saw 5,579 incidents, a
decrease of 2% from the previous period.
There
were 8,429 assaults on staff in the 12 months to December 2017 (a rate
of 98 per 1,000 prisoners), up 23% from the previous year. This is the
highest level in the time series. In the latest quarter, staff assaults
increased by 5% to a new record high of 2,327 incidents. There has been a
change in how staff assaults have been recorded. This has simplified
how incidents involving staff are identified, however it is possible
this has increased the recording of incidents.
In
the 12 months to December 2017, there were 3,856 serious assaults, up
10% from the previous year. Of these, 3,029 (or 79%) were serious
prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, an increase of 10% in the number of
incidents from the previous year. Over the same period, there were 864
serious assaults on staff, up 10% from the previous period. All of these
figures are the highest in the respective time series.
All prison posts are kindly sponsored by Prison Consultants Limited who offer
a complete service from arrest to release for anyone facing prison and
their family. Prison Consultants have no editorial influence on the
contents of this site.
..................................................................................................................
| 
No comments:
Post a Comment
comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.