Safety in custody statistics
Source: data.gov.uk (2018-05-25)

Safety in Custody. Data on assaults, self-harm and assaults in prisons in England and Wales. Headline figures produced quarterly with more detailed figures produced annually in April.

Safety in Custody Statistics 
Quarterly Bulletin 
January to March 2012 
England and Wales 
 
 
Published 24 July 2012 
- 1 - 

 
 
- 2 - 

 
 
Contents 
 
Introduction ............................................................................................................- 4 - 
 
Overview ................................................................................................................- 6 - 
 
Deaths in custody...................................................................................................- 7 - 
 
Self-harm..............................................................................................................- 13 - 
 
Assaults................................................................................................................- 16 - 
 
References...........................................................................................................- 19 - 
 
Appendix A List of tables and figures.................................................................- 20 - 
 
Appendix B Timeline ..........................................................................................- 22 - 
 
Appendix C Data Sources, Quality and Methodology.........................................- 23 - 
 
Contact points ......................................................................................................- 30 - 
 
- 3 - 

 
 
Introduction 
 
Safety in custody statistics cover deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody.   This 
publication contains statistics relating to these incidents up to the period ending March 
2012 in England and Wales. 
 
This bulletin has been produced by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) 
of the Ministry of Justice. NOMS monitors deaths, self-harm and assaults in prisons and 
has a range of related measures to help monitor overall safety. 
 
This is the first quarterly Safety in Custody Bulletin replacing the previous annual 
version.  The reason for the change is to enable data to be released in a more timely 
manner than an annual bulletin allows. Key tables will now be produced quarterly, with 
additional tables produced annually (see Appendix A for a list of tables). 
 
Although this publication concerns statistics, the incidents described in this report are, by 
their nature, tragic and distressing to the prisoners, their families and staff. NOMS 
remains committed to reducing the number of self-inflicted deaths, caring for prisoners at 
risk of self-harm, reducing violence in prison custody and learning from such incidents.  
 
When considering particular statistics, readers should note the following:  
 
 
 
Risk of death, self-harm or assaults is distributed unevenly around the prison estate. 
This bulletin presents the figures broken down by key factors including age, gender 
and time in custody. These, and random variation, explain many of the differences 
between prisons and particular risk groups.  
 
 
In prisons, as in the community, self-harm is often covert and assaults may go 
unreported. In prison custody, however, such incidents are more likely to be detected 
and counted. Recording of self-harm and assault incidents in prison custody has 
improved over the years but it remains the case that they cannot be counted with 
absolute accuracy.  
 
From time to time, events in prison custody and developments within and outside NOMS 
have changed the way safety in prisons is viewed and managed. Some have resulted in 
changes to the way offenders are managed on a day to day basis. Others have affected 
the way statistics are collected and reported. The timeline in Appendix B summarises 
some of the key events and developments since 2000 that have affected safety in prison 
custody and supporting statistics. The list indicates major factors affecting safety in 
custody and helps in the interpretation of longer term trends.  
 
The cost of deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody, in both human and 
financial terms is high.  This report adds to the body of learning in this area and supports 
work to prevent such tragedies in future. The contents of the report will be of interest to 
government policy makers, the agencies responsible for offender management at both 
national level and within prisons, and others who have an interest in safety in prisons. 
- 4 - 

 
 
Data Sources and Quality  
 
Data relating to deaths in prison custody are drawn from the NOMS Deaths in Prison 
Custody database. Figures are closely scrutinised and considered to be of high quality.  
Self-harm and assault figures have been drawn from the NOMS incident reporting 
system.  Care is taken when processing and analysing the returns but the detail 
collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large scale recording system. 
Although the figures are shown to the last whole number, they may not be accurate to 
that level. See Appendix C for details on data quality, sources and methodology.  
 
Revisions  
 
Figures for deaths during previous years may change due to late notifications and 
changes in classification following an inquest, which may not be concluded for several 
years after the death. Figures for self-harm and assaults for the previous year may be 
revised due to data corrections; earlier figures are not generally subject to revision. 
However, to produce a back dated time series of quarterly figures there have been some 
minor revisions to figures for earlier years.  The changes do not affect reported trends. 
 
 
Key changes to this report 
 
Two existing categories of death ‘other/non-natural’ and ‘awaiting further information’ 
(also referred to as ‘unclassified’) have been merged into ‘other’.  The statistical reason 
for the change is that the aggregate figure is more suitable for determining trends.   
 
To reflect the change to a quarterly publication, assaults and self-harm tables have been 
introduced with quarterly figures.  For the quarterly update on deaths in custody it has 
been decided to present a 12 month moving total due to the volatility between each 
quarter.  This approach helps focus on the longer term trends within this data and 
consistent with other publications on aspects of the Justice system such as reoffending.   
The main sections on deaths, self-harm and assaults are now self-contained with 
commentary focussed on longer term trends. 
 
 
Related publications 
 
This bulletin is published alongside two inter-related bulletins:  
 
Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin: This provides key statistics 
relating to offenders who are in prison or under Probation Service supervision. It covers 
flows into these services (receptions into prison or probation starts) and flows out 
(discharges from prison or probation terminations) as well as the caseload of both 
services at specific points in time. 
 
Proven Re-offending Statistics Quarterly: This provides proven re-offending figures 
for offenders who were released from custody, received a non-custodial conviction at 
court, received a caution, reprimand, warning or tested positive for opiates or cocaine in 
the 12 months ending September 2010.  
 
Taken together, these publications present users with a more coherent overview of 
offender management, re-offending among both adults and young people and the safety 
of offenders whilst in prison custody. 
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Overview 
 
Table 1: Deaths in Prison Custody Summary Statistics, England and Wales 
-Mar 04 -Mar 05 -Mar 06 -Mar 07 -Mar 08 -Mar 09 -Mar 10 -Mar 11 -Mar 12
DEATHS IN PRISON CUSTODY1
Total deaths
187
197
167
161
188
163
180
184
211
Self-inflicted
94
87
74
72
85
64
59
54
66
Natural Causes
86
101
87
85
98
94
117
114
129
Homicide
1
2
3
1
1
3
0
2
1
Other
6
7
3
3
4
2
4
14
of which
Other/Non-natura
15
l
6
7
3
3
4
2
4
7
1
Awaiting further information
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
7
Total deaths per 1,000 prisoners2
2.54
2.64
2.19
2.04
2.33
1.97
2.14
2.17
2.44
Self-inflicted
1.28
1.16
0.97
0.91
1.05
0.77
0.70
0.64
0.76
Natural Causes
1.17
1.35
1.14
1.08
1.21
1.13
1.39
1.34
1.49
12 months ending
1) Deaths in prison custody statistics are derived  from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) deaths in custody database. 
2) Death rates are derived by 1000 x (number of deaths in 12 months)/(average monthly population for 12 months)
14
 
 
Table 2: Self-harm and Assaults Summary Statistics, England and Wales 
Jan 10
Apr 10
Jul 10
Oct 10
Jan 11
Apr 11
Jul 11
Oct 11
Jan 12
-Mar 10 -Jun 10 -Sep 10 -Dec 10 -Mar 11 -Jun 11 -Sep 11 -Dec 11 -Mar 12
SELF-HARM INCIDENTS1
Total self-harm incidents
6,928
6,698
6,901
6,452
6,234
6,367
6,113
5,934
5,611
Males
3,352
3,777
3,732
3,485
3,774
4,149
4,075
3,839
4,083
Females
3,576
2,921
3,169
2,967
2,460
2,218
2,038
2,095
1,528
Individuals self-harming in quarter2
2,119
2,233
2,432
2,348
2,426
2,453
2,413
2,348
2,269
Males
1,646
1,768
1,898
1,851
1,933
1,924
1,966
1,863
1,878
Females
473
465
534
497
493
529
447
485
391
Self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners3
325
315
323
311
292
298
279
275
256
Males
166
187
184
176
186
204
196
187
196
Females
3,334
2,738
2,962
2,966
2,314
2,120
1,915
2,064
1,449
Self-harm related hospital attendances
326
358
353
332
361
379
425
368
361
Males
274
325
311
283
326
345
377
327
323
Females
52
33
42
49
35
34
48
41
ASSAULT INCIDENTS
38
1
Total assaults
3,511
3,653
3,715
3,477
3,650
3,917
4,063
3,827
3,725
Males
3,378
3,461
3,526
3,337
3,480
3,711
3,905
3,660
3,582
Females
133
192
189
140
170
206
158
167
143
Assaults per 1,000 prisoners3
165
172
174
167
171
184
186
178
170
Males
167
171
174
169
172
183
188
178
172
Females
124
180
177
140
160
197
148
165
136
Serious assaults
375
340
360
319
348
323
372
341
306
Males
365
329
348
308
336
306
362
330
293
Females
10
11
12
11
12
17
10
11
13
Assaults on staff
717
712
730
697
726
787
848
774
724
Males
677
649
662
648
665
716
795
727
679
Females
40
63
68
49
61
71
53
47
45
Assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners3
34
34
34
34
34
37
39
36
33
Males
33
32
33
33
33
35
38
35
Females
37
59
64
49
57
68
50
46
Serious assaults on staff
82
66
90
66
74
67
75
58
56
Males
78
61
84
62
69
62
70
54
54
Females
4
5
6
4
5
5
5
4
PRISON POPULATION
33
43
2
4
Males and Females
85,184
85,002
85,429
83,055
85,400
85,374
87,501
86,172
87,531
Males
80,894
80,735
81,150
79,054
81,148
81,189
83,245
82,112
83,313
Females
4,290
4,267
4,279
4,001
4,252
4,185
4,256
4,060
4,218
2) Individuals self-harming in quarter are estimated using surname and date of birth.  They cannot be measured with absolute accuracy and, 
although quoted to the last figure, should be treated as approximate. See Appendix C for further information. 
3) Annualised rates are derived by  4 x 1,000 x (Number of incidents in quarter)/(average monthly population for quarter) 
4) Prison population figures are from the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin and are averaged across 3 months. 
1) Self-harm and assault incidents are derived from the NOMS incident reporting system.  They cannot be measured with absolute accuracy 
and although quoted to the last figure, should be treated as approximate. See Appendix C for further information.
 
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Deaths in custody  
 
 
A ‘death in prison custody’ is defined as any death of a person in prison custody arising 
from an incident occurring during (or, on rare occasions, immediately prior to) prison 
custody.  This includes deaths of prisoners while released on temporary license (ROTL) 
for medical reasons but excludes deaths of any prisoners released on other types of 
temporary license. Until cause of death is confirmed at inquest, each death in prison 
custody is provisionally classified under one of the following causes: 
 
Self-inflicted: Any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life 
irrespective of intent.  
 
Natural causes: Any death of a person as a result of a naturally occurring disease 
process.  
 
Homicide: Any death of a person at the hands of another (this includes murder and 
manslaughter). 
 
Other: Any death of a person whose death cannot easily be classified as natural 
causes, self-inflicted or homicide. There are two sub-categories  
 
(i) 
Other/Non-natural: Accidents arising from external causes, accidental overdose/ 
poisoning and deaths where taking a drug contributed to a death but not in fatal 
amounts. 
 
(ii) 
Awaiting further information (formerly ‘unclassified’): This category includes any 
deaths on which there is insufficient information to make a judgement about the 
cause of a deaths.  The information awaited may refer to post mortem or 
toxicology reports, Prison and Probation Ombudsman reports or the findings of 
Coroners’ inquest.  In a small number of cases, the cause of death may never be 
known even after all of the necessary investigations have taken place. 
 
 
Overall mortality 
 
For the 12 months ending March 2012, there were 211 deaths in prison custody.  
 
The number of deaths in prison custody can vary considerably with trends best 
considered over a longer period; taking into account factors such as underlying changes 
in the prison population. 
 
Since 2008, the total number of deaths has shown a general upward trend, rising from 
163 in the 12 months to March 2009 (Figure 1).    
 
 
 
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Figure 1: Deaths in prison custody by apparent cause, England and Wales 
0
50
100
150
200
250
-Mar 04 -Mar 05 -Mar 06
-Mar 07 -Mar 08 -Mar 09
-Mar 10 -Mar 11 -Mar 12
Number of deaths
Total deaths
Self-inflicted
Natural causes
Other
 
 
Changes in the prison population need to be taken into account when interpreting trends 
relating to deaths in prison custody.  Figure 2 shows the annual numbers of deaths per 
1,000 prisoners. 
 
Figure 2: Deaths per 1,000 prisoners by apparent cause, England and Wales 
0.0
0.5
1.0
1.5
2.0
2.5
3.0
-Mar 04 -Mar 05 -Mar 06 -Mar 07 -Mar 08 -Mar 09 -Mar 10 -Mar 11 -Mar 12
Number of deaths per 1,000 prisoners
Total deaths
Self-inflicted
Natural causes
Other
 
  
- 8 - 

 
 
Since 2005, the overall annual mortality rate has fluctuated between 1.96 and 2.33 per 
1,000 prisoners.  Since 2007, the reduction in self-inflicted deaths have tended to be 
offset by an increase in ‘natural cause’ and from 2010, ‘other’ deaths (see figure 2). 
 
 
Self-inflicted deaths 
 
For the 12 months ending March 2012, there were 66 self-inflicted deaths.   
 
The self-inflicted death rate in 2011 was 0.66 per 1,000 prisoners.  Other than 2007, 
self-inflicted death rates have been reducing over the last 10 calendar years.   
 
The increase in ‘other’ deaths from 2010 and the decrease in self-inflicted deaths are 
unconnected.  Classifications of deaths have always involved an element of uncertainty 
and although it is possible that a small proportion of ‘other’ deaths may be self-inflicted, 
the effect is not sufficient to adversely affect interpretation of trends.    
 
For the third year in a row, there were no self-inflicted deaths on the day of arrival in a 
prison during 2011.  The numbers on the first and second full days also remain low 
averaging less than one per quarter.   
 
 
Natural cause deaths 
 
For the 12 months ending March 2012, there were 129 natural cause deaths. 
 
Numbers of natural cause deaths and rates have been increasing since 2006. In 2011, 
numbers continued to rise but rates fell for the first time since 2006.  The prison 
population has been ageing and staying in custody for longer which may explain the 
trend. 
 
Up to the 1980s, natural causes routinely accounted for the majority of deaths in prison 
custody. That changed between 1989 and 2003 when self-inflicted deaths were 
consistently higher than those due to natural causes1. The historical pattern of natural 
cause deaths in prison custody routinely exceeding self-inflicted deaths has now 
returned. 
 
Some of the deaths currently classified as ‘other’ in this report are likely to be classified 
as natural causes once more information becomes available.  As a result, numbers and 
rates of natural cause deaths may be slightly under-reported.  The effect is not sufficient, 
to adversely affect interpretation of trends.    
 
 
                                                 
1 See table 1.2 in Safety in Custody Statistics deaths tables 
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Homicides 
 
There has been one homicide in the 12 months ending March 2012.  Annual numbers 
have varied between 0 and 3 over the last 10 years. 
 
Homicides are relatively rare accounting for less than one per cent of all deaths in prison 
custody.  There were 14 in the 10 years from 2002 to 2011; an average of 1.4 per year. 
For the previous 10 years ending 2001 there were 22; an average of 2.2 per year.  
 
 
Other deaths 
 
There were 15 ‘other’ deaths in the period ending March 2012.  Numbers in this 
category have varied between 1 and 16 over the last 10 years.   
 
In 2011 ‘Other’ deaths accounted for 7.3 per cent of all deaths during the year.   
 
This category has been increasing in recent years due to a number of cases that have 
proved difficult to classify. In July 2011, we reported that there were eight ‘unclassified’ 
deaths in 2010. At the time this report was being prepared, five remained. Of the three 
that were provisionally classified, two were ‘other/non-natural’ and one was ‘natural 
causes’.  
 
On the balance of probability, the majority of deaths for which information is awaited 
beyond three months will eventually be classified as ‘other/non-natural’. Of the 
remainder, most will be natural causes.  
 
Some of the cases in the aggregated ‘other’ category appear to be drug related but there 
is no reason to believe that any are self-inflicted. However, the uncertainty will not be 
entirely removed until after inquest.  
 
 
Comparison of deaths in prison with those in the general 
population 
 
The prison population is very different from the general population: 95 per cent of the 
prison population are male, there are no prisoners aged under 15 and relatively few are 
over 60. As a result, rates of deaths in prison custody cannot be compared directly with 
those for the general population. One technique used for comparing mortality rates for 
different populations is known as the Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR).   
 
Figure 3 shows the SMR for the prison population and its 95 per cent confidence 
interval. It compares overall deaths with those of the general population of England and 
Wales taking into account differences in age and gender. An SMR above one means 
that prisoners are more likely to die than an equivalent cross section of the general 
population. 
  
- 10 - 

 
 
Figure 3: Annual Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) for prison population 
 
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Standardised Mortality Ratio
 
 
 
In 2011, the SMR for the prison population was 1.21. For 2011, the lower limit is above 
one indicating that after age and gender differences are taken into account the mortality 
rate in prison custody was higher than in the general population. At least some of the 
difference is explained by the prison population having a higher turnover and 
proportionally more health problems than the general population.   
  
- 11 - 

 
 
Table 3: Annual deaths in prison custody, England and Wales  
  
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Prison Population1
70,861 73,038 74,658 75,980 78,151 80,380 82,636 83,559 84,725 85,951
Deaths in prison custody2
164
183
208
174
153
185
165
169
197
192
Self-inflicted
95
95
96
78
67
92
61
61
58
57
Natural Causes
66
86
101
88
83
89
98
105
125
119
Homicide
0
1
2
3
0
2
3
0
1
2
Other
3
1
9
5
3
2
3
3
13
14
of which
Other/Non-natural
3
1
9
5
3
2
3
3
8
2
Awaiting further information
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
5
12
Deaths per 1,000 prisoners3
2.32
2.51
2.79
2.29
1.96
2.31
2.00
2.02
2.33
2.25
Self-inflicted
1.34
1.30
1.29
1.03
0.86
1.14
0.74
0.73
0.68
0.66
Natural Causes
0.93
1.18
1.35
1.16
1.06
1.11
1.19
1.26
1.48
1.38
Other
0.04
0.01
0.12
0.07
0.04
0.02
0.04
0.04
0.15
0.16
Standardised mortality ratio 
(SMR)4
1.29
1.39
1.59
1.30
1.10
1.29
1.08
1.10
1.25
1.21
SMR Confidence interval
(1.13-
1.47)
(1.23-
1.58)
(1.41-
1.78)
(1.14-
1.48)
(0.96-
1.25)
(1.14-
1.45)
(0.95-
1.23)
(0.96-
1.25)
(1.11-
1.41)
(1.07-
1.36)
Self-inflicted deaths by time in 
current prison5
95
95
96
78
67
92
61
61
58
57
On day of arrival
1
2
4
0
2
1
3
0
0
0
1st or 2nd full day
12
13
13
13
3
5
5
9
4
4
3 days to 7 days
17
12
13
2
3
11
3
10
6
9
8 days to 30 days
22
16
23
17
12
17
10
6
7
8
31 days to 3 months (90 days)
20
18
19
12
20
23
15
16
15
16
days)
12
16
9
20
12
15
12
13
8
8
6 months to 1 year
8
6
12
4
7
9
8
5
8
5
Over one year
3
12
3
10
8
11
5
2
10
7
5) Prisoners who die on the date of arrival will typically have been in the prison for less than 12 hours.  The one to two days 
category includes any death after midnight on the date of arrival and before midnight on the second complete day in the prison. 
Care needs to be taken when interpreting numbers of deaths in the early days of custody as the actual number of deaths in 
precise  24 hours time slots is not always known precisely due to uncertainty about the exact time of incident/death.
1) Prison population figures are from the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin and are averaged across 12 months.
2) Deaths in prison custody statistics are derived from the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) deaths in the custody 
database. Classifications are provisional until confirmed at inquest.
3) Annual rates are derived using: 1,000 x (Number of deaths in year)/(average monthly population for year) 
4) See Appendix B and the associated technical note 'Reporting of deaths in custody' on the website.
 
- 12 - 

 
 
Self-harm  
 
Self-harm in prison custody is defined as, “any act where a prisoner deliberately harms 
themselves irrespective of the method, intent or severity of any injury.” In the community, 
self-harm is often covert. In prisons, such incidents are more likely to be detected and 
counted.  
 
Information on self-harm is collected through the NOMS incident reporting system which 
collects data on a range of incidents including deaths and assaults. The parts of the 
system relating to self-harm were revised and changes implemented in December 2002.  
Relatively complete data are available from 2004 onwards although it remains the case 
that self-harm incidents cannot be counted with absolute accuracy.  
 
Key self-harm statistics are summarised in Table 3. Although the number of self-harm 
incidents is provided, this particular measure, in isolation, is not a good indicator of 
underlying trend as a small number of individuals account for a large proportion of self-
harm incidents. When considering trends in self-harm measures relating to both 
individuals and incidents should be considered. 
 
There were 5,611 self-harm incidents perpetrated by 2,269 individuals during the quarter 
ending March 2012.   
 
Having increased sharply between 2009 and 2010, self-harm rates have since been 
falling, reaching 260 per 1,000 prisoners in the last quarter (see table 1).   
 
The continued fall in recorded self-harm is mostly due to a reduction in the number of 
female prisoners who now form a smaller proportion of the overall prison population: 6.1 
per cent in 2002 down to 4.9 per cent in 2011. As a disproportionate amount of self-
harm is perpetrated by female prisoners, any relative change to the male/female prison 
population disproportionately affects overall self-harm rates. 
 
An additional reason for the change is the ageing prisoner population. Since 2002, the 
mean age of both male and female prisoners has been rising. As younger prisoners are 
more likely to self-harm than older prisoners, self-harm rates tend to fall as the mean 
age rises. In 2011, prisoners aged 15 to 20 accounted for 11 per cent of the prison 
population but 21 per cent of all self-harm incidents.    
 
In 2011, the rates of female self-harm were approximately 11 times higher than for 
males. However, repetitive self-harmers impact on this comparison.  An alternative 
comparison uses proportions of the male and female prison population who self-harm.  
In 2011, the equivalent of seven per cent of the male population self-harmed compared 
with 29 per cent of females (individuals self-harming /average population). Another 
comparison uses average numbers of self-harm incidents. In 2011, male prisoners who 
self-harmed averaged 2.8 incidents over the year compared with an average of 7.1 
incidents for females.  
 
Historically, female prisoners accounted for more than half of all self-harm incidents but 
this is no longer the case as illustrated in Figure 4.   
 
The annual numbers of individual female self-harmers in 2011 was 11 per cent lower 
than the 2008 peak. Over the same time period, the number of incidents fell 32 per cent. 
- 13 - 

 
 
The difference may be explained by a relatively higher reduction in the number of female 
repetitive self-harmers in prison custody. The most recent quarter, continues that trend – 
fewer individual self-harmers and incidents.   
 
The majority of prisoners do not self-harm. In 2011, 43 per cent of females that self-
harmed and 60 per cent of males did so once, while six per cent of females and one per 
cent of males did so more than 20 times.   
 
A small proportion of individuals account for a disproportionate amount of self-harm. 
Since 2004, individuals self-harming more than 20 times in the year have accounted for 
between 33 per cent and 46 per cent of all self-harm incidents.  
 
The early days or arriving in a prison are the highest risk times for self-harm with the 
incidence reducing over time.  In 2011, approximately 23 per cent of self-harm incidents 
occurred within the first month of arriving in a prison (Table 4).  This proportion has been 
reducing in recent years down from 42 per cent in 2004.  The reduction is, in part, due to 
the reduction in the female population.   
 
 
Figure 4: Quarterly self-harm incidents and individuals by gender, England and 
Wales 
0
1000
2000
3000
4000
5000
Number of incidents and individuals
Incidents-male
Incidents-female
Individuals-male
Individuals-female
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
 
 
Figure 4 illustrates how numbers of female self-harm incidents are relatively volatile 
compared with numbers of individuals self-harming.  The low points for female self-harm 
in 2009 and more recently, indicate that there was less repetitive self-harm at those 
times.   
 
- 14 - 

 
 
Table 4: Self-harm summary statistics, England and Wales 
 
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Prison population1
74,657
75,979
78,127
80,216
82,572
83,560
84,725
85,374
Males
70,209
71,512
73,680
75,842
78,158
79,277
80489
81,189
Females
4,448
4,467
4,447
4,374
4,414
4,283
4236
4,185
Self-harm incidents2,3
19,702
23,781
23,400
23,000
25,234
24,184
26,979
24,648
Males
9,874
10,420
11,899
11,592
12,219
13,706
14,346
15837
Females
9,828
13,361
11,501
11,408
13,015
10,478
12,633
8811
Individuals self-harming4
5,243
5,560
5,845
6,122
6,325
6,444
6,623
6,854
Males5
4,003
4,215
4,529
4,785
4,936
5,117
5376
5621
Females5
1,240
1,345
1,316
1,337
1,389
1,327
1247
1233
Self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners
264
313
300
287
306
289
318
289
Males
141
146
161
153
156
173
178
195
Females
2,210
2,991
2,586
2,608
2,949
2,446
2,982
2,105
Individuals self-harming per 1,000 prisoners
70
73
75
76
77
77
78
80
Males
57
59
61
63
63
65
67
69
Females
279
301
296
306
315
310
294
295
Self-harm incidents per individual3,5
3.8
4.3
4.0
3.8
4.0
3.8
4.1
3.6
Males
2.5
2.5
2.6
2.4
2.5
2.7
2.7
2.8
Females
7.9
9.9
8.7
8.5
9.4
7.9
10.1
7.1
Self-harm related hospital attendances
1,093
1,219
1,214
1,290
1,290
1,304
1,369
1,533
Males
873
985
1,001
1,104
1,083
1,131
1193
1375
Females
220
234
213
186
207
173
176
158
Self-harm incidents by age group
15-17 year olds
1,074
1,260
1,011
1,101
1,473
1,102
730
722
18 - 20
3,687
5,033
4,998
4,559
5,114
4,435
5,080
4,457
21-24
4,057
4,265
4,034
4,818
5,373
4,452
5,678
5,491
25-29
3,407
4,184
4,334
3,932
3,787
4,117
4,555
4,433
30-39
3,977
5,100
4,960
4,419
5,496
5,052
6,105
5,244
40-49
1,172
1,834
2,400
2,272
2,094
2,362
2,317
2,581
50-59
167
184
234
238
350
603
824
604
60 and over
30
39
23
80
71
84
166
106
Not recorded
2,131
1,882
1,406
1,581
1,476
1,977
1,524
1,010
Self-harm incidents by time in current prison
On day of arrival
328
284
343
335
352
400
346
215
1st or 2nd full day3
697
732
741
759
755
700
634
494
3 days to 7 days
1,399
1,572
1,445
1,434
1,417
1,365
1,173
1,111
8 days to 30 days
3,696
4,114
4,399
3,754
4,081
3,558
3,340
2,711
31 days to 3 months
4,695
5,735
5,856
5,397
5,880
5,022
5,785
4,078
3 months to 6 months
3,028
3,737
3,743
3,824
4,448
3,729
4,293
3,756
6 months to 1 year
1,795
2,893
2,764
2,569
2,769
2,851
3,334
3,741
Over 1 year
1,797
2,674
2,417
3,079
3,850
4,203
6,238
7,282
Unknown
2,267
2,040
1,692
1,849
1,682
2,356
1,836
1,260
(2) A new system for monitoring self harm was introduced in December 2002 and as a result recording of self harm improved throughout 2003. Numbers before 2004 have therefore 
not been included as they are not directly comparable with later figures. 
(1) As published in Offender Management Caseload StatisticsQuarltery Bulletin
(4) The numbers of different individuals has been revised and is now based on unique surname and date of birth. The alternative method based on unique prisoner numbers has 
proven to be less consistent over time due to changes in the prison numbering system.  Neither method produces absolute numbers of unique individuals but the current method has 
advantages in that it is more consistent over time
(3) In prisons, as in the community, it is not possible to count self harm incidents with absolute accuracy. In prison custody, however, such incidents are more likely to be detected 
and counted. Care needs to be taken when comparing figures shown here with other sources where data may be less complete. 
 
 
 
- 15 - 

 
 
Assaults  
 
Assault incidents2 cover a wide range of possible offences including grievous bodily 
harm (GBH), aggravated bodily harm (ABH), affray etc.   
 
A particular assault is classified as serious if:  
 
 it is a sexual assault  
 it results in detention in outside hospital as an in-patient  
 it requires medical treatment for concussion or internal injuries  
 the injury is a fracture, scald or burn, stabbing, crushing, extensive or multiple 
bruising, black eye, broken nose, lost or broken tooth, cuts requiring suturing, bites or 
temporary or permanent blindness.  
 
 
 
There were 3,725 assault incidents during the quarter ending March 2012.  Of these, 
724 were on staff. 
 
Since January 2010, annualised assault rates have ranged between 165 and 186 
assault incidents per 1,000 prisoners (see figure 5).  
 
The role of individual prisoners in assault incidents cannot always be distinguished. In 
some incidents, it is clear which prisoners are assailants and which are victims while in 
other incidents the roles are blurred. In the latter cases, those involved may be identified 
as ‘fighters’. The roles are determined by local investigation of the incident. 
  
Younger prisoners are more frequently involved in violence than older prisoners.  In 
2011, prisoners aged 15 to 20 accounted for 11 per cent of the prison population.  
However, they accounted 59 per cent of all fighters 46 per cent of assailants and 38 per 
cent of victims. 
 
In the context of assault incidents, gender refers to the type of prison and not the gender 
of those involved in the incident.  The reason for this is that in a small percentage of 
cases, assault incidents in a male prison will be on females – typically members of staff.  
Similarly, in female prisons, a small percentage of assaults will be on male staff.     
 
Unlike self-harm, assault rates in male and female prisons are relatively similar.  In 2011, 
the annual assault rate in male prisons was 180 assault incidents per 1,000 prisoners 
compared with 167 in female prisons.  Until 2008, assault rates in female prisons were 
consistently higher than in male prisons.  That trend has now reversed with rates in male 
prisons now being higher. 
                                                 
2 PSI 47/2011 Prisoner Discipline Procedures uses the following questions to determine 
whether an assault was committed  
 Did the accused prisoner apply force to another person, or act in such a way that 
another person was in fear of force being applied to them? 
 Was the force unlawful, i.e. more than was reasonable in the circumstances for self-
defence against an assault or to prevent a serious crime? 
 
- 16 - 

 
 
 
The overall assaults rate on staff is dominated by what happens in the male prison 
estate.  Rates in the male prison estate fell to 33 per 1,000 prisoners in the last quarter 
and to 43 per 1,000 in the female estate. 
 
 
Figure 5: Total assaults and assaults on staff, England and Wales 
0
50
100
150
200
250
Annualised assaults per 1,000 prisoners
Total assaults
Assaults on staff
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
2012
 
- 17 - 

 
 
Table 5: Assault summary statistics, England and Wales 
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
2009
2010
2011
Prison population1
70,861
73,038
74,658
75,980
78,151
80,380
82,636
83,559
84,725
85,951
Males
66,562
68,613
70,209
71,513
73,703
76,006
78,222
79,277
80,489
81,763
Females
4,299
4,425
4,449
4,467
4,448
4,374
4,414
4,283
4,236
4,188
Assault incidents2,3
11,562
11,877
12,616
14,413
15,057
15,272
15,959
15,185
14,356
15,457
Males
10,814
11,069
11,753
13,325
13,895
14,268
15,054
14,479
13702
14756
Females
748
808
863
1,088
1,162
1,004
905
706
654
701
Assaults per 1,000 prisoners4
163
163
169
190
193
190
193
182
169
180
Males
162
161
167
186
189
188
192
183
170
180
Females
174
183
194
244
261
230
205
165
154
167
Serious assaults
956
1,160
1,220
1,372
1,404
1,485
1,491
1,318
1,394
1,367
Males
917
1,095
1,137
1,306
1,344
1,435
1,448
1,282
1350
1,321
Females
39
65
83
66
60
50
43
36
44
4
Assaults on staff
2,851
2,893
3,204
3,502
3,530
3,279
3,219
3,083
2,856
3,135
Males
2,553
2,592
2,895
3,067
3,006
2,869
2,867
2,831
2636
2,903
Females
298
301
309
435
524
410
352
252
220
232
Assaults per 1,000 prisoners4
40
40
43
46
45
41
39
37
34
36
Males
38
38
41
43
41
38
37
36
33
3
Females
69
68
69
97
118
94
80
59
52
55
Serious assaults on staff
196
267
272
299
279
285
284
269
304
274
Males
188
247
246
277
254
266
265
257
285
255
Females
8
20
26
22
25
19
19
12
19
19
Prisoner assailants
5,097
4,994
5,162
6,464
6,799
6,535
7,171
6,895
7,223
7,010
15-17
1,087
810
891
1,431
1,620
1,491
1,866
1,748
1,501
1320
18-20
1,394
1,307
1,271
1,591
1,775
1,641
1,753
1,917
2,010
1891
21-25
895
978
994
1,130
1,047
1,082
1,161
1,068
1,242
1362
26-29
670
777
899
904
948
990
1,013
858
969
963
30-39
836
884
858
1,039
986
882
916
859
982
951
40-49
175
186
201
305
314
360
368
356
405
392
50-59
30
37
32
41
83
67
73
69
79
66
60 and ove
6
6
r
10
13
16
22
26
22
21
19
28
29
Unknown
0
2
0
1
0
0
0
1
7
Prisoner fighters
7,556
7,718
7,666
9,556
10,447
11,386
11,627
11,215
11,031
10,401
15-17
2,329
2,213
2,052
3,264
3,654
4,045
4,248
3,183
2,928
2632
18-20
2,836
2,637
2,463
3,065
3,184
3,564
3,617
3,907
3,438
3456
21-25
924
1,113
1,146
1,162
1,290
1,318
1,369
1,483
1,701
1634
26-29
640
736
894
919
1,009
1,103
1,033
1,179
1,272
1105
30-39
685
815
885
924
997
989
994
1,050
1,222
1103
40-49
119
180
207
191
270
317
309
363
393
383
50-59
21
17
15
24
35
40
36
37
60
62
60 and ove
36
r
2
7
4
7
8
10
21
12
16
26
Unknown
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
1
Prison victims
4,281
4,158
4,271
5,298
5,631
5,783
6,424
5,896
5,865
5,381
15-17
706
519
518
926
966
999
1,242
994
884
742
18-20
1,043
958
937
1,199
1,235
1,248
1,475
1,568
1449
1296
21-25
745
802
805
857
977
1,017
1,049
1,003
1092
1033
26-29
701
710
758
891
907
947
1,023
871
847
816
30-39
824
879
904
1,037
1,069
1,084
1,072
972
975
958
40-49
189
217
254
315
364
392
457
374
451
407
50-59
54
55
77
55
85
74
80
89
121
98
60 and ove
0
r
19
18
18
18
28
22
26
25
46
29
Unknown
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
(4) Annual assault rates are derived by 1,000 x (number of incidents in year)/(average monthly population for year)
(1)  Prison population figures are from the Offender Management Statistics quarterly bulletin and are averaged across 12 months 
(2) Prison violence can be measured in a number of ways.  This report focuses on assault incidents including fights.  A new Key 
Performance Indicator for serious assaults was introduced in 2003/04 and as a result reporting of all assault incidents improved. 
Reported incidents before 2005 are therefore not directly comparable with later figures. In particular, although figures for 2000 to 2002 
have been included they are under reported by modern standards.  It is now expected that all assaults, including fights, should be 
reported whether or not there was an injury.  As this was not the case in the past care needs to be taken when interpreting changes over 
the years.
(3) Assault incidents are derived from the NOMS incident reporting system.  They cannot be measured with absolute accuracy and 
although quoted to the last figure, should be treated as approximate. See Appendix C for further information
2
 
 
- 18 - 

 
 
References 
 
Independent Advisory Panel (IAP) on Deaths in Custody 
 
Deaths in state custody (http://iapdeathsincustody.independent.gov.uk/) 
 
Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) 
 
Deaths in Custody Study  (www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/deathscustodystudy.aspx) 
 
Deaths following police contact 
(www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/reports_polcustody.aspx) 
 
Prison Probation Ombudsman (PPO) 
 
Fatal Incident reports (www.ppo.gov.uk/investigating-fatal-accidents.html) 
 
Annual reports (www.ppo.gov.uk/annual-reports.html) 
 
World Health Organisation (WHO) International Classification of Diseases (ICD) 
 
ICD 10 (http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2010/en) 
 
Ministry of Justice/NOMS 
 
Prison and Probation Statistics (www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation) 
 
Prison Service Orders (www.justice.gov.uk/offenders/psos) 
 
Prison Service Instructions (www.justice.gov.uk/offenders/psis) 
 
 
- 19 - 

 
 
Appendix A 
List of tables and figures 
 
This is a list of the quarterly and annual tables in this Safety in Custody Statistics  
publication and associated death, self-harm and assaults spreadsheet files available 
from the website. They refer to incidents in prison custody in England and Wales.  
 
 
Table description 
Period 
 
 
 
 
Safety in Custody – Summary tables 
 
Table 1 
Deaths in prison custody summary statistics 
Apr 09 - Mar 12
Table 2 
Quarterly self-harm and assaults summary statistics 
Apr 09 - Mar 12
Table 3 
Annual summary statistics (deaths) 
2002 - 2011 
Table 4 
Annual summary statistics (self-harm) 
2004 - 2011 
Table 5 
Annual summary statistics (assaults) 
2002 - 2011 
 
 
 
Figure 1 
12 month moving total numbers of deaths by apparent cause 
2002 - 2011 
Figure 2 
Annual deaths per 1,000 prisoners by apparent cause 
2002 - 2011 
Figure 3 
Annual Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) for prison population 
2002 - 2011 
Figure 4 
Quarterly self-harm incidents and individuals by gender 
Jan 02 - Mar 12
Figure 5 
Quarterly total assaults and assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners 
Jan 02 - Mar 12
 
 
 
 
Deaths tables 
 
Table 1.1 Annual deaths in prison custody and rates by apparent cause  
1978 - 2011 
Table 1.2 Annual deaths in prison custody by apparent cause and gender 
1978 - 2011 
Table 1.3 Annual deaths in prison custody by apparent cause and age band 
1978 - 2011 
Table 1.4 
Annual deaths arising from incidents in prison custody but occurring 
elsewhere 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.5 Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody by gender 
1978 - 2011 
Table 1.6 Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody by age 
1978 - 2011 
Table 1.7 
Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody by time in custody and 
current prison 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.8 Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody by type of custody 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.9 Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody by ethnicity 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.10 Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody by nationality type 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.11 Annual self-inflicted deaths  in prison custody by sentence type 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.12 Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody by method 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.13 
Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody: Ligatures used in 
hanging/self-strangulation 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.14 
Annual self-inflicted deaths in prison custody: Ligature points used in 
fatal hangings 
1999 - 2011 
Table 1.15 Annual natural cause deaths in prison custody by age group 
2001 - 2011 
Table 1.16 Annual self-inflicted deaths by establishment 
2001 - 2011 
Table 1.17 Annual natural cause deaths by establishment 
2001 - 2011 
Table 1.18 Dates of opening/closing and major re-roles of prisons 
2001 - 2011 
 
 
 
 
Self-harm tables 
 
Table 2.1 Annual self-harm summary 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.2 Annual self-harm incidents by method 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.3 Annual self-harm incidents by age group 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.4 Annual individuals self-harming by age group 
2004 - 2011 
- 20 - 

 
 
 
Table description 
Period 
Table 2.5 Annual self-harm incidents by time in current prison 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.6 Annual self-harm incidents  by type of custody 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.7 Annual self-harm incidents by ethnicity 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.8 Annual self-harm incidents by nationality type 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.9 Individuals self-harming by nationality type 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.10 Annual self-harm incidents by location 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.11 Annual self-harm incidents by type of hospital attendances 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.12 Annual self-harm frequency 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.13 Annual self-harm incidents by establishment 
2004 - 2011 
Table 2.14 Dates of prisons opening/closing and major re-roles of prisons 
2001 - 2011 
 
 
 
 
Assaults tables 
 
Table 3.1 Annual prison assault summary statistics 
2002 - 2011 
Table 3.2 
Annual assault incidents and prisoner assailants, victims and fighters 
by gender 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.3 
Annual assault incidents and prisoner assailants, victims and fighters 
by age 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.4 
Annual prisoner assailants, victims and fighters by time in current 
prison 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.5 Annual prisoner assailants, victims and fighters by type of custody 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.6 Annual Prisoner assailants, victims and fighters by ethnicity 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.7 Annual Prisoner assailants, victims and fighters by nationality type 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.8 Annual assault incidents by assailant / victim type 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.9 Annual sexual assault incidents by assailant / victim type 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.10 Annual assault incidents involving weapons 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.11 Annual assaults on staff 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.12 Annual assault incidents by type of injury 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.13 Annual assault related hospital attendances / treatment for 
concussion/internal injuries 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.14 Annual assault incidents (Including fights) by establishment 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.15 Annual assaults on staff by establishment 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.16 Dates of prisons opening/closing and major re-roles of prisons 
2001 - 2011 
 
- 21 - 

 
 
Appendix B 
Timeline 
 
This is a list of key events and developments since 2000 that have affected safety in 
prison custody and supporting statistics. The list is not comprehensive but does give an 
indication of the major factors affecting safety in custody and helps in the interpretation 
of longer term trends. 
 
2000 
 March: Zahid Mubarek murdered by racially motivated cell mate at HM Young Offenders 
Institution Feltham  
2002 
 December: New self-harm monitoring form introduced  
 New Cell Sharing Risk Assessment (CSRA) form introduced  
2003 
 January: PSO 2700, ‘Suicide and Self Harm Prevention’ launched  
2004 
 Joint Commission on Human Rights publishes, ‘Report on Deaths in Custody’  
 April: Apparent homicide of Shahid Aziz – Leeds  
 May: PSO 2750, ‘Violence Reduction Strategy’ launched  
2006 
 New at risk prisoner care planning system, ‘Assessment Care in Custody and Teamwork’ 
(ACCT) launched  
 Home Office & Department of Health set up Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody  
 Zahid Mubarek inquiry finishes  
2007 
 Prison staff issued with cut down tools  
 March: Baroness Jean Corston publishes, a ‘Review of women with particular 
vulnerabilities in the Criminal Justice system’  
 October: PSO 2700 revised  
 December: Lord Carter publishes, ‘Proposals for the efficient and sustainable use of 
custody in England and Wales’  
2008 
 March: ‘Independent review of Forum for Preventing Deaths in Custody’ (Robert Fulton)  
2009 
 January: Review of NOMS Violence Reduction Strategy commenced  
 March: Lord Harris appointed Chair of new Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody  
2010  
 February: First Quick Time Learning Bulletin published 
2011  
 April: PSI ‘Cell Sharing Risk Assessment’  is published  
2012  
 January: Ministerial Council on Deaths in Custody granted a further three year term by 
Ministers 
 February: PSI ‘Safer Custody’ published replacing PSOs 2700, 2750 and 2710 
 May: Review of unclassified deaths between 2010 and 2011 (Mc Feeley) 
 
- 22 - 

 
 
Appendix C 
Data Sources, Quality and Methodology 
 
Summary 
 
The data relating to deaths in prison custody presented in this publication is drawn from 
the NOMS Deaths in Prison Custody database. The data are closely scrutinised and are 
considered to be of high quality.  However, it is in the nature of deaths, that numbers 
may change over time as new information emerges in particular following inquests which 
often take place some years after a death.  Overall numbers of deaths in prison custody 
should be absolute. However, a single reclassification of a death following inquest will 
affect numerous tables in this publication.  Tables dependent on classification of deaths 
should therefore be treated as provisional.  
 
The data relating to self-harm and assault incidents in this publication are drawn from 
the NOMS Incident Reporting System which collects information on a range of different 
types incidents.  
 
 
Although care is taken when processing and analysing returns related to these 
incidents, the detail collected is subject to the inaccuracies inherent in any large-
scale recording system.   While the figures shown have been checked as far as 
practicable, they should be regarded as approximate and not necessarily accurate to 
the last whole number. 
 
In prisons, as in the community, self-harm is often covert and assaults may go 
unreported. In prison custody, however, such incidents are more likely to be detected 
and counted. Recording of self-harm and assault incidents in prison custody has 
improved over the years but it remains the case that they cannot be counted with 
absolute accuracy.  
 
Quality of data may be measured using the six dimensions of data quality 
Relevance, Accuracy, Timeliness and Punctuality, Accessibility and Clarity, Coherence 
and Comparability.  A full review of quality is beyond the scope of this bulletin but the 
table at the end of this appendix provides a basic assessment of accuracy for the main 
data streams in this report: deaths, self-harm and assaults.  
 
 
Change to how statistics on deaths are presented in this report 
 
In the previous bulletin, published in July 2011, a new ‘unclassified’ category of death 
was introduced.  At the time, it was unclear how these deaths would eventually be 
classified.  Although it has always been the case that classifications may change as new 
information emerges, the approach attracted criticism that self-inflicted or other violent 
deaths may be hidden in this new category.    
 
In the majority of cases, deaths in prison custody are quickly classified.  For the 
remaining deaths, further information may be required before a classification can be 
made. The information awaited may refer to post mortem or toxicology reports, Prison 
and Probation Ombudsman report or the Coroner’s inquest.  In a few cases, the cause 
of death may never be known even after all of the necessary investigations have taken 
place. Such cases have always existed but, in 2010, numbers appeared to increase. 
 
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Of the deaths for which further information is awaited after three months, we have 
concluded that, the majority will end up classified as ‘other/non-natural’.  Most of the 
remaining deaths in this category will be natural causes.  Only a small proportion are 
expected to be self-inflicted although there will remain an element of uncertainty that will 
not be removed until after inquest. 
 
The revised approach consists of four main categories and two sub categories: 
 
 Self-inflicted 
 Natural causes 
 Homicide 
 Other -consisting of the two sub categories: 
o Other/non-natural 
o Awaiting further information (formerly ‘unclassified’) 
 
The only essential change is that two of the existing categories are now aggregated. The 
statistical reason for this change is that the two sub-categories, reported on previously, 
are relatively volatile changing quickly over time as new information emerges. As a 
result, they are not, in isolation, suitable for determining trends. However, the aggregate 
‘other’ category is relatively stable and therefore more useful for determining trends.   
 
The types of deaths included in the aggregate ‘other’ category include: 
 
 Deaths following a fall 
 Adverse reaction to medical treatment  
 Refusal of medical treatment 
 Drug related  
 
In some jurisdictions, drug related deaths are reported separately. NOMS chose not to 
report such deaths separately because it blurs the boundary with self-inflicted deaths 
that might then be underreported.  The current classification system means that drug 
related deaths are distributed amongst more than one category: a small percentage of 
self-inflicted deaths (drug overdoses), a small percentage of natural cause deaths (those 
where drugs contributed to a premature death) and a larger proportion of the other 
category. Given the wide variety of deaths in the ‘other category’ numbers in each type 
are relatively small and so it is difficult to assess underlying trends.  As the category 
appears to be on the increase, we will keep the matter under review. 
 
 
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Deaths in prison custody data  
 
Sources of data 
 
The data relating to deaths in prison custody presented in this publication is drawn from 
the NOMS Deaths in Prison Custody Database.  Data recorded on that database comes 
from a number of sources including: 
 
 
Historical archives (Death registers) 
 
Prisoner records  
 
NOMS strategic IT systems including; NOMS Incident Reporting System (IRS), 
NOMIS (which replaced LIDS)  and Accommodation and Occupancy (A&O) 
database (which replaced IIS)  
 
Prisons  
 
Prison and Probation Ombudsman fatal incident investigations  
 
Coroners  
 
The database contains summary details of each death in prison custody since 1978.  
Some data, such as ethnicity and nationality, were added later.   
 
 
NOMS system for classifying deaths in prison custody 
 
A ‘death in prison custody’ is any death of a person in prison custody arising from an 
incident occurring during (or, on rare occasions, immediately prior to) prison custody.  
This includes deaths of prisoners while Released on Temporary License (ROTL) for 
medical reasons but excludes deaths of any prisoners released on other types of 
temporary license. 
 
Each death in prison custody is provisionally classified as one of the following: 
 
 Self-inflicted  
Any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life irrespective of 
intent.  
 Natural causes  
Any death of a person as a result of a naturally occurring disease process.  
 Homicide  
Any death of a person at the hands of another (includes murder and manslaughter). 
 Other 
Any death of a person whose death cannot easily be classified as natural causes, 
self-inflicted or homicide. These include  
(i) 
Other/Non-natural: Accidents arising from external causes, accidental 
overdose/ poisoning and deaths where taking a drug contributed to a death 
but not in fatal amounts. 
(ii) 
Awaiting further information: This category includes any deaths for which 
there is insufficient information to make a judgement about the cause of  
death.  The information awaited may refer to post mortem or toxicology 
reports, Prison and Probation Ombudsman report or the Coroner’s inquest.  
In a small number of cases the cause of death may never be known even 
afterall of the necessary investigations have taken place. 
 
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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 NOMS system for classifying 
deaths provides a provisional classification for administrative and statistical 
purposes.  The final classification is only determined at inquest. 
 
 
Exclusions 
 
Data in this publication includes deaths of prisoners while Released on Temporary 
License (ROTL) for medical reasons but excludes deaths of any prisoners on other types 
of ROTL because the incident leading to a death does not usually occur within the direct 
control of the state.  For example; an overdose or fatal road traffic accident. In addition, 
ROTL deaths cannot be counted accurately because: 
  
 
They are not always reported to NOMS immediately.   
 
When prisoners do not return to custody, they are declared as being unlawfully at 
large. Unless all such prisoners can be accounted for, the numbers dying while on 
ROTL cannot be measured with certainty.  
 
Although non-medical ROTL deaths are excluded from deaths in prison custody figures, 
the Prison and Probation Ombudsman has the discretion to investigate them.  A non-
medical ROTL death may be included if it the investigation concluded that the incident 
leading to the death occurred while in prison custody.  We are not aware of any such 
cases but they are possibility.   
 
 
Comparability of deaths figures with those from other sources  
 
The NOMS system of classifying deaths evolved specifically to help place reliable 
numbers of deaths in prison custody in the public domain without undue delay. This 
section shows how they compare with other sources in particular 
 
 
International Classification of Diseases ICD versions 9/10  
 
Prison and Probation Ombudsman: Self-inflicted, Natural causes, Substance abuse, 
Homicide, Accidental  
 
Police: Inquest verdicts (for example, Suicide, Open verdict, Non-dependent drug 
abuse, Natural causes, Sudden deaths, Inquest pending , Inquest not held)  
 
Similar variations occur with other prison systems. As a result, when comparing 
published deaths in prison custody for England and Wales, it is important to consider 
whether or not the definitions used are comparable.  
 
A number of other organisations use a category, “drug-related death.” While NOMS 
monitors drug related deaths, it does not use this category because it can blur the 
boundary with self-inflicted deaths.  
 
The main international system for death classification is part of the International 
Classification of Diseases (ICD) currently on version 10. The NOMS classifications can 
be matched to these. Researchers wishing to compare deaths in prison custody for 
England and Wales with those from other sources should be aware of the following:  
 
 
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ICD9 comparison  
 
 The apparent self-inflicted deaths category is a close match to E950-959, E980-E989 
excluding E988.8  
 Apparent homicide is a close match to: E960-E969, E979, E999.  
 Apparent other non-natural is a close match E800-E869, E880-E929 and, if any 
occurred, legal intervention (E970-E978) and operations of war (E990-E998). This 
category also includes some otherwise difficult to classify deaths.  
 
ICD 10 comparison (see http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2010/en) 
 
 The apparent self-inflicted deaths category is a close match and ICD10: Intentional 
Self-harm(X60-X84) and ICD10: Event of Undetermined Intent (Y10-Y34).  
 Apparent homicide is a close match to ICD10:Assault (X85-Y09)  
 Apparent other non-natural is a close match to ICD10 Accident (V01-X59.) This 
category also includes some otherwise difficult to classify deaths.  
 
Prison Probation Ombudsman (PPO) 
 
PPO’s responsibilities include investigating fatal incidents in prison custody and 
approved premises and they report on these independently from NOMS.  In the PPO’s 
2010/11 annual report the following categories for death were used:  
 Natural causes 
 Self-inflicted 
 Illicit drug overdose  
 Accidental and other  
 Unclassified 
 
Fatal self-administered illicit drug overdoses in prison custody are relatively rare but 
such deaths would be included in the NOMS ‘self-inflicted’ category.  ‘Accidental and 
other’ is similar to NOMS ‘other/non-natural category 
 
PPO statistics on deaths relate to investigations started into deaths within their scope.  
As this is broader than NOMS deaths in prison custody, their figures will tend to be 
slightly higher and cannot be directly compared. 
 
Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) 
 
IPCC’s responsibility includes investigating and reporting on a range of deaths 
 road traffic fatalities 
 fatal shootings 
 deaths in or following police custody 
 apparent suicides following release from custody 
 other deaths following police contactincluding those following police contact  
 
(See http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/en/Pages/reports_polcustody.aspx) 
 
In their 2011 report they used the following categories: 
 
 Natural causes (exc. cardiac arrest) 
 Natural causes and alcohol/ drugs 
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 Cardiac arrest 
 Cardiac arrest and alcohol/ drugs 
 Cardiac arrest and internal organ failure 
 Stab wounds 
 Restraint related 
 Asphyxiation and drug overdose 
 Awaited 
 
These categories are not directly comparable with those used in NOMS 
 
 
Self-harm information  
 
Sources of data 
 
Detailed information on each self-harm incident in prison custody comes from the NOMS 
Incident Reporting system (IRS). Such information began to be collected in the early 
1990s. The focus then was on reporting serious incidents but the range of data has 
since expanded to include all self-harm incidents whether or not an injury was sustained. 
From 2009, prisons increasingly began to use P NOMIS for entering incident data.  From 
April 2012 all self-harm data is sourced from P NOMIS. The transition to the new system 
did affect recording of self-harm but not enough to unduly affect underlying trends.  
 
The current self-harm monitoring system started in December 2002 but because 
recording of self-harm improved throughout 2003, the data used in this report is from 
2004 onwards.   
 
In prisons, as in the community, it is not possible to count self-harm incidents with 
absolute accuracy. In prison custody, however, such incidents are more likely to be 
detected and counted. Care needs to be taken when comparing NOMS self-harm 
statistics with other sources where data may be less complete.  
 
 
Assaults information  
 
Sources of data 
 
Information on assaults comes from the NOMS incident reporting system. Detailed 
recording of information on each assault incident began in the mid 1990s. The early 
focus was on serious incidents. Fights between prisoners (assault incidents where there 
was no clear assailant and victim), were reported less often.  All assault incidents, 
including fights, are now required to be reported irrespective of whether an injury was 
sustained. Due to changes in categorisation of data, information prior to 2000 is not 
directly comparable with that collected later.  
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Reporting rates  
 
Throughout this bulletin rates of events per 1,000 prisoners have been calculated using 
the average prison population over the year, calculated as the average of the 12 month-
end prison populations during each year (published in the Offender Management 
Caseload Statistics annual tables). This average population can also be interpreted as 
‘prisoner-years’. However, it does not take into account all the individuals who are in 
custody at any point during the year, and therefore are potentially at risk of experiencing 
the event.  
 
Populations with a relatively high turnover {(number of individuals in period)/(average 
population for period)} will tend to have higher risk of self-inflicted deaths, self-harm and 
assaults. In future bulletins we will review some of the rates to take account of all at-risk 
individuals.  
 
Standardised mortality ratio  
 
The standarised mortality ratio (SMR) compares the death rate in custody with the death 
rate in the general population, adjusting for age and gender. When the rates are equal 
the ratio is 1. A ratio higher than 1 indicates that, after adjusting for age and gender, 
there is a higher rate of death in custody than in the general population. However the 
ratio is not an exact figure, but has a confidence interval, which gives the range in which 
the true value is likely to lie. If this range includes 1, this indicates that the difference 
between deaths rates in custody and in the general population is not statistically 
significant. The accompanying technical note “Reporting of deaths in custody” provides 
further details. 
 
Symbols used 
 
..  
not available  
0  
nil or less than half the final digit shown 
-  
not applicable  
(p)  Provisional data  
(r)  Revised data  
 
 
Revisions policy  
 
Figures for deaths in prison custody reflect the latest available information at the time 
information was compiled for the quarterly report.  Figures are not finalised until after 
inquest which may not be completed until several years.    
 
Self-harm and assault incidents cannot be measured with absolute accuracy.  Figures in 
this publication should be treated as approximate and provisional, In general, figures for 
the most recent four quarters will be revised to reflect the latest available information.   
Figures for earlier years are not normally revised, but would be corrected if either errors 
are identified or back dated times series are required to support new measures. 
 
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Contact points 
 
Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office:  
 
Tel: xx-xxxx-xxxx  
 
Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to:  
 
Steve Ellerd-Elliott  
Planning and Analysis Group  
NOMS Agency  
Clive House  
70 Petty France 
London  
SW1H 9EX  
Tel: xx-xxxx-xxxx  
 
General enquiries about the statistical work of the Ministry of Justice can be e-mailed to: 
xxx@xxx.xx  
 
General information about the official statistics system of the UK is available from 
www.statistics.gov.uk 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
© Crown copyright Produced by the Ministry of Justice Alternative formats are available 
on request from xxx@xxx.xx