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 Update to June 2012  
England and Wales 
 
 
25 October 2012 
1 

 
Contents 
 
 
 
Introduction........................................................................................................................3 
 
Key findings .......................................................................................................................5 
 
Deaths in custody ..............................................................................................................8 
 
Self-harm .........................................................................................................................13 
 
Assaults ...........................................................................................................................16 
 
References ......................................................................................................................19 
 
List of tables and figures..................................................................................................20 
 
Data Sources and Data Quality.......................................................................................22 
 
Explanatory notes............................................................................................................22 
 
Contact points..................................................................................................................23 
 
 
 
2 

 
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 June 
2012 in England and Wales. 
 
This bulletin has been produced by the National Offender Management Service (NOMS) 
and 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 second quarterly Safety in Custody statistical bulletin. Following feedback on 
the first version, some of the technical material has now been included in a separate 
‘Guide to Safety in Custody Statistics1’ that includes further information on data quality. 
 
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.  
 
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.  
 
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. Others have affected the way statistics are 
collected and reported. The accompanying guide includes a timeline summarising some 
of the key events and developments that have affected safety in prison custody and 
supporting statistics. These help with 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 support a wide range of 
operational and strategic decisions including:  
 
 
Management of risk;  
 
Deployment of staff (identification of high risk periods and locations etc.); 
 
Design of prison cells (identification and reduction of ligature points); 
 
Assessment of changes in sentencing and other policies affecting prisoners.  
                                                 
1 Guide to Safety in Custody Statistics www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-
custody 
 
3 

 
Each year, hundreds of requests for safety in custody information are received including 
Parliamentary Questions and Freedom of Information requests. The contents of this 
report help answer such requests and will be of interest to the general public, 
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. 
 
This bulletin is published alongside two inter-related bulletins:  
 
Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin2: 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 Quarterly3: 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. 
                                                 
2 Offender Management Statistics www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly 
 
3 Proven Reoffending Statistics www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/reoffending/proven-re-offending 
 
4 

 
Key findings 
 
Table 1: Safety in Custody Summary Statistics, England and Wales 
-Jun 03 -Jun 04 -Jun 05 -Jun 06 -Jun 07 -Jun 08 -Jun 09 -Jun 10 -Jun 11 -Jun 12
Total deaths
181
199
184
166
178
167
171
179
199
193
Self-inflicted
103
93
88
70
79
77
63
59
63
Natural Causes
75
94
91
90
94
87
103
115
118
126
Homicide
0
2
2
2
2
0
3
0
2
1
Other
51
2
3
10
3
4
3
3
2
5
16
Self-harm incidents3
-
-
22,123
23,892
23,240
23,330
25,253
25,739
25,954
23,435
Males
-
-
10,109
11,093
12,233
11,572
12,997
14,090
15,139
16,102
Females
-
-
12,014
12,799
11,007
11,758
12,256
11,649
10,815
7,333
Assault incidents
11,752
12,192
13,459
14,898
15,082
15,877
15,434
14,713
14,739
15,213
Males
11,014
11,337
12,534
13,727
13,997
14,905
14,630
14,054
14,036
14,610
Females
738
855
925
1,171
1,085
972
804
659
703
603
12 months ending1
3. A new system for monitoring self-harm was introduced in December 2002.  As a result, recording of self-harm 
improved throughout 2003.  12 month periods that include parts of 2003 and earlier years are therefore under-reported 
by modern standards and have been omitted from this table.
1. There have been no changes to the underpinning quarterly data for deaths since the last report. There have been 
minor changes to self-harm and assaults quarterly tables which are detailed in tables 6 and 7 available from the 
website.
2. ‘Other’ deaths include accidental and other difficult to classify deaths including those for which further information is 
awaited.  A minority of the most recent two years figures are expected to be reclassified as natural causes. 
15
 
 
 
Deaths 
 
For the 12 months ending June 2012 (see tables 1 and 2), there were: 
 
 
193 deaths in prison custody (a fall of three per cent compared to the previous 12 
month period); 
 
51 self-inflicted deaths (a fall of 19 per cent compared with previous 12 months);  
 
15 ‘other’ deaths (eight per cent of all deaths) - a fall of one death compared with 
the previous 12 months. 
 
Annual numbers of deaths are volatile and rises or falls from one year to the next are not 
a good indicator of underlying trend.  
 
 
The most recent fall in the mortality rate to 2.2 deaths per 1,000 prisoners was 
preceded by a rise from 2.1 to 2.3 in the previous 12 months; 
 
Self-inflicted death rates have fallen from 1.4 deaths per 1,000 prisoners in the 
12 months ending June 2003 to 0.6 deaths per 1,000 in the 12 months ending 
June 2012. 
 
 
5 

 
Self-harm 
 
For the 12 months ending June 2012 (see tables 1 and 3), there were: 
 
 
23,435 self-harm incidents (a decrease of 10 per cent compared with the 
previous 12 months); 
 
7,004 individuals who self-harmed (an increase of 2 per cent compared with the 
previous 12 months); 
 
The rate of female individuals who self-harmed fell to 279 per 1,000 prisoners (a 
decrease of 13 per cent compared with the previous 12 months).  
 
Trends for male and female self-harm are best considered separately: 
 
 
Male self-harm rates have increased over the last five years ending June, from 
150 self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners to 194 per 1,000 prisoners; 
 
Female self-harm rates have fallen over the last four years ending June 
particularly over the last year. For the 12 months ending June 2012 there were 
1,750 self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners (a reduction of  32 per cent 
compared with the previous 12 months). 
 
A number of factors contributed to the change: 
 
 
Changes in the relative numbers of repetitive self-harmers: Numbers of female 
prisoners self-harming more than 20 times during a year fell from 126 in 2010 to 
84 in 2011 compared with an increase for males from 53 to 69 over the same 
period;4 
 
Changes in the average number of times each individual self-harms:  Average 
number of incidents per female self-harmer fell from 10.1 in 2010 to 7.1 in 2011 
compared with males which increased from 2.7 to 2.8 over the same period;5 
 
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.  
 
Assaults 
 
In the 12 months ending June 2012 (see tables 1 and 4), there were: 
 
 
15,213 assault incidents (a rise of three per cent compared with the previous 12 
months);  
 
175 assaults per 1,000 prisoners (a rise of one per cent);  
 
3,070 assaults (20 per cent of all assaults) on staff (a rise of five per cent 
compared with the previous 12 months);  
 
35 assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners (no change); 
 
258 serious assaults on staff (a fall of 13 per cent compared with the previous 12 
months). 
 
Overall assault rates are dominated by what happens in the male prison estate which 
accounts for some 95 per cent of the prison population. Assault rates in the male prison 
estate have levelled while those in the female prison estate have fallen.  
                                                 
4 Safety in Custody: Self-harm table 2.12 
5 Safety in Custody: Self-harm table 2.1 
6 

 
 
 
Overall assault rates since 2003 have ranged between 163 and 195 per 1,000 
prisoners;  
 
Having fallen for the preceding five years, assault rates on staff have remained at 
35 per 1,000 prisoners for the last three years;  
 
Until 2009, assault rates in the female prison estate tended to be higher than in 
the male prison estate.  Rates in the female prison estate have been lower for 
the last three years. 
 
Population factors 
 
Underlying changes in the prison population6 continue to affect the distribution of safety 
in custody risk.  
 
 
The prison population has been ageing – the mean age of prisoners increased 
from 32.6 years in 2002 to 34.0 in 2011; 
 
There are now proportionally fewer female prisoners – 6.1 per cent in 2002 down 
to 4.9 per cent in 2011. 
 
 
 
                                                 
6 Offender Management Statistics www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly 
 
7 

 
Deaths in custody  
 
A death in prison custody is defined as ‘any death of a person in prison custody arising 
from an incident in or, on rare occasions, immediately prior to prison custody’.  
 
All deaths in prison custody are subject to a police investigation and a coroner’s inquest.  
Once the inquest has been concluded, the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman’s office 
publish a detailed ‘Fatal Incident Report’7 on the death.    
 
The key population factors in determining risk of death in custody are: 
 
 
Age: Older prisoners are more likely to die of natural causes. Self-inflicted death 
risk varies with age peaking amongst prisoners in their 30s; 
 
Time in custody: Self-inflicted deaths are more likely in the early stages of 
custody; 
 
Gender: Female prisoners are less likely to die in custody. 
 
Table 2: Deaths in Custody Summary Statistics, England and Wales 
-Jun 03
-Jun 04
-Jun 05
-Jun 06
-Jun 07
-Jun 08
-Jun 09
-Jun 10
-Jun 11
-Jun 12
DEATHS
Deaths in prison custody1
181
199
184
166
178
167
171
179
199
193
Self-inflicted
103
93
88
70
79
77
63
59
63
51
Natural Causes
75
94
91
90
94
87
103
115
118
126
Homicide
0
2
2
2
2
0
3
0
2
Othe
1
r2
3
10
3
4
3
3
2
5
16
of which
Other/Non-natural
3
10
3
4
3
3
2
4
7
1
15
Awaiting further information
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
9
Deaths per 1,000 prisoners
2.5
2.7
2.5
2.2
2.2
2.1
2.1
2.1
2.3
2.2
Self-inflicted
1.4
1.3
1.2
0.9
1.0
0.9
0.8
0.7
0.7
0.6
Natural Causes
1.0
1.3
1.2
1.2
1.2
1.1
1.2
1.4
1.4
1.4
1. All classifications of deaths remain provisional until confirmed at inquest.
2. A minority of the most recent two years figures for 'other' deaths are expected to be re-classified as natural causes
12 months ending
14
 
 
 
Overall mortality 
 
For the 12 months ending June 2012 (see table 2), there were: 
 
 
193 deaths in prison custody (a fall of three per cent compared to the previous 12 
month period);  
 
2.2 deaths per 1,000 prisoners. 
  
Annual numbers of deaths are volatile and rises or falls from one year to the next are not 
a good indicator of underlying trend.  
 
 
The most recent fall in the mortality rate to 2.2 deaths per 1,000 prisoners was 
preceded by a rise from 2.1 to 2.3 in the previous 12 months; 
 
Changes in the prison population – increased numbers and an increased average age 
have contributed to an increase in numbers of deaths in particular those relating to 
                                                 
7 Prisons and Probation Ombudsman: Fatal Incident Reports www.ppo.gov.uk/prison-investigations.html 
 
8 

 
natural causes. The mean age of the prison population rose from 32.6 years in 2002 to 
34.0 in 20118. 
 
 
Figure 1: 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
-Jun 03
-Jun 04
-Jun 05
-Jun 06
-Jun 07
-Jun 08
-Jun 09
-Jun 10
-Jun 11
-Jun 12
Number of deaths per 1,000 prisoners
Total deaths
Self-inflicted
Natural causes
Other
 
 
Self-inflicted deaths 
 
Self-inflicted deaths include any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her 
own life irrespective of intent. 
 
For the 12 months ending June 2012, there were: 
 
 51 self-inflicted deaths (a fall of 19 per cent compared with previous 12 months);  
 0.6 deaths per 1,000 prisoners. 
 
As with overall deaths in prison custody, annual numbers of self-inflicted deaths are 
volatile and rises or falls from one year to the next are not a good indicator of underlying 
trend. Self-inflicted deaths and corresponding rates have been falling for some years 
and although the most recent figures show a further decrease, the underlying rates may 
be starting to level.  
 
 
Self-inflicted death rates have fallen from 1.4 deaths per 1,000 prisoners in the 
12 months ending June 2003 to 0.6 deaths per 1,000 in the 12 months ending 
June 2012. 
 
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 
                                                 
8 Offender Management Statistics www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly 
9 

 
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.   
 
Suicide prevention policies have specifically targeted the early stages of custody. There 
have now been no self-inflicted deaths on the day of arrival in prison9 since 2008. The 
numbers on the first and second full days also remain low, averaging less than one per 
quarter.  
 
From 1989 to 2003, self-inflicted deaths were consistently higher than those due to 
natural causes10. Up to the 1980s, natural causes routinely accounted for the majority of 
deaths in prison custody. In the late 1980s, self-inflicted deaths started to increase. 
‘Care in the community’ is sometimes cited11 as a reason for the increase as it is 
believed to have led to an increase in the proportions of prisoners with mental illness. 
The proportions of mentally ill in the prison population are not measured routinely so the 
actual change over time is unknown. The increase in numbers of self-inflicted deaths 
from the late 1980s is likely to be due to a combination of factors because it started 
before the impact of the 1989 White Paper ‘Caring for People: Community Care in the 
next Decade and Beyond’ could have taken full effect.  
 
 
Natural cause deaths 
 
Natural cause deaths include any death of a person as a result of a naturally occurring 
disease process.  
 
For the 12 months ending June 2012, there were: 
 
 126 natural cause deaths (a rise of seven per cent compared with the previous 
12 months);  
 1.4 deaths per 1,000 prisoners.  
 
Natural cause rates have increased by around a half over the last ten years.  A minority 
of the most recent deaths currently classified as ‘other’ in this report are likely to be 
classified as natural causes once more information becomes available. As a result, 
figures for the most recent two years are likely to be under-reported compared with 
earlier figures.  Assuming five of the fifteen deaths are eventually reclassified as natural 
causes, then the numbers and rates in this report would be under-reported by some four 
per cent.  The uncertainty on these figures will not be entirely removed until after inquest  
 
                                                 
9 Safety in Custody Deaths: Table 1.7 www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody 
 
10 Safety in Custody: Deaths Table 1.2  
11 Mental Health of Prisoners (HM Inspectorate of Prisons 2007) 
www.justice.gov.uk/downloads/publications/inspectorate-reports/hmipris/thematic-reports-and-research-
publications/mental_health-rps.pdf 
 
10 

 
Homicides 
 
Homicides include any death of a person at the hands of another. This includes murder 
and manslaughter cases. 
 
In the 12 months ending June 2012, there was one homicide compared with two in the 
previous 12 months. Annual numbers have varied between zero and three 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. 12 
 
 
Other deaths 
 
‘Other’ deaths include any death of a person whose death cannot easily be classified as 
natural causes, self-inflicted or homicide. The category includes accidents and cases 
where the cause of death is unknown even after all of the investigations have been 
concluded.  
 
For the 12 months ending June 2012: 
 
 there were 15 ‘other’ deaths (eight per cent of all deaths) - a fall of one death 
compared with the previous 12 months; 
 a minority of deaths in this category are likely to be natural cause deaths but this 
will not be confirmed until inquests have been concluded.   
 
The numbers in this category have increased 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’.  
 
The majority of deaths for which information is awaited beyond three months are 
expected to 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. 
 
As with homicides, ‘other’ deaths are best considered over long periods.  
 
 
                                                 
12 Safety in Custody: Deaths Table 1.1 www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody 
11 

 
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 2 is based on annual data and shows the Standardised Mortality Ratio (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. If the minimum of the SMR confidence level of the SMR 
is above one, then this indicates that the mortality rate of the prison population is 
significantly higher than that of the general population.  In seven out of the last ten 
years, prison mortality has been significantly higher than that of the general population.   
 
Figure 2: 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
 
This chart is updated annually on a calendar year basis when the underlying data 
become available. 
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.” Those who self-
harm often do so covertly.  In the community, such self-harm will often go undetected. In 
prisons, such incidents are more likely to be detected and counted. 
 
The key factors determining the risk of self-harm in custody are:  
 
 
Age: Younger prisoners are more likely to self-harm than older prisoners13; 
 
Gender: Female prisoners self-harm more frequently than males; 
 
Time in custody: A disproportionate amount of self-harm occurs in the early 
stages of custody14. 
 
Table 3: Self-harm in Custody Summary Statistics, England and Wales 
-Jun 05 -Jun 06 -Jun 07 -Jun 08 -Jun 09 -Jun 10 -Jun 11 -Jun 12
SELF-HARM
Self-harm incidents1
22,123
23,892
23,240
23,330
25,253
25,739
25,954
23,435
Males
10,109
11,093
12,233
11,572
12,997
14,090
15,139
16,102
Females
12,014
12,799
11,007
11,758
12,256
11,649
10,815
7,333
Self-harm individuals2
5,692
5,994
6,297
6,454
6,642
7,183
6,849
7,004
Males
4,263
4,523
4,852
4,979
5,133
5,675
5,508
5,836
Females
1,429
1,471
1,445
1,475
1,509
1,508
1,341
1,168
Self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners
295
311
292
286
304
305
306
269
Males
143
153
163
150
165
176
188
194
Females
2,738
2,862
2,496
2,654
2,830
2,730
2,579
1,750
Self-harm individuals per 1,000 prisoners2
76
78
79
79
80
85
81
80
Males
60
62
64
65
65
71
68
70
Females
326
329
328
333
348
353
320
279
Self-harm incidents per individual
3.9
4.0
3.7
3.6
3.8
3.6
3.8
3.3
Males
2.4
2.5
2.5
2.3
2.5
2.5
2.7
2.8
Females
8.4
8.7
7.6
8.0
8.1
7.7
8.1
6.3
Hospital Attendances
1,158
1,257
1,197
1,333
1,298
1,328
1,425
1,512
Males
929
1,013
1,008
1,141
1,095
1,167
1,265
1,347
Females
229
244
189
192
203
161
160
165
2. Numbers of individuals should be treated as approximate as the details of prisoners are not always recorded against each self-
harm incident.
12 months ending
1. A new system for monitoring self-harm was introduced in December 2002.  As a result, recording of self-harm 
improved throughout 2003.  12 month periods that include parts of 2003 and earlier years are therefore under-reported 
by modern standards and have been omitted from this table.
 
 
                                                 
13 Safety in Custody: Self-harm Table 2.4  
14 Safety in Custody: Self-harm Table 2.5 www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody 
13 

 
For the 12 months ending June 2012 (see table 3), there were: 
 
 
23,435 self-harm incidents (a decrease of 10 per cent compared with the 
previous 12 months); 
 
7,004 individuals who self-harmed (an increase of 2 per cent compared with the 
previous 12 months); 
 
The rate of female individuals who self-harmed fell to 279 per 1,000 prisoners (a 
decrease of 13 per cent compared with the previous 12 months).  
 
Trends for male and female self-harm are best considered separately: 
 
 
Male self-harm rates have increased over the last five years ending June, from 
150 self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners to 194 per 1,000 prisoners; 
 
Female self-harm rates have fallen over the last four years ending June 
particularly over the last year. For the 12 months ending June 2012 there were 
1,750 self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners (a reduction of  32 per cent 
compared with the previous 12 months). 
 
A number of factors contributed to the change: 
 
 
Changes in the relative numbers of repetitive self-harmers: Numbers of female 
prisoners self-harming more than 20 times during a year fell from 126 in 2010 to 
84 in 2011 compared with an increase for males from 53 to 69 over the same 
period;15 
 
Changes in the average number of times each individual self-harms:  Average 
number of incidents per female self-harmer fell from 10.1 in 2010 to 7.1 in 2011 
compared with males which increased from 2.7 to 2.8 over the same period;16 
 
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.  
 
 
The ageing prison population is also a factor.  Younger prisoners are more likely to self-
harm than older prisoners.  For example, in 2011, prisoners aged 15 to 20 accounted for 
11 per cent of the prison population17 but 21 per cent of all self-harm incidents. An 
increase in mean age of a population should imply lower self-harm rates but in practice 
self-harm trends are dominated by other factors such as numbers of repetitive self-
harmers.  
 
Until 2006, the female population accounted for more than half of all self-harm incidents 
in prison custody.  That is no longer the case.   For the 12 months ending June 2012 
females accounted for 31 per cent of all self-harm incidents.  The rates of female self-
harm continue to be much higher than for males but the gap has decreased (see table 
2).  Figure 3 shows that while the rate of male individuals self-harming has remained 
fairly constant, the rate for females have fallen. 
 
                                                 
15 Safety in Custody: Self-harm table 2.12 
16 Safety in Custody: Self-harm table 2.1 
17 Offender Management Statistics www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly 
14 

 
Figure 3: Self-harming individuals per 1,000 prisoners by gender, England and 
Wales  
0
100
200
300
400
500
-Jun 05
-Jun 06
-Jun 07
-Jun 08
-Jun 09
-Jun 10
-Jun 11
-Jun 12
Individuals per 1,000 prisoners
Male individuals
Female individuals
 
 
Improvements in the management of self-harm may have contributed to the fall in female 
self-harm but, given the differences between male and female self-harm, it seems likely 
that the overall health needs of the population have changed.  
 
Although self-harm incidents in prison custody are relatively common, it remains the 
case that the majority of prisoners do not self-harm. Of the prisoners who did self-harm 
in 2011, 43 per cent of females 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.  
 
Although the proportions of prisoners who self-harm more than 20 times during a year 
are relatively small, they do account for a disproportionate amount of self-harm 
incidents. 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. This proportion has been reducing 
in recent years down from 42 per cent in 2004.18 The reduction is, in part, due to the 
reduction in the female population but also prisoners being in custody for longer. 
 
                                                 
18 Safety in Custody Self-harm table 2.15 www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody 
15 

 
Assaults  
 
Assaults in prison custody cover a wide range of violent incidents including fights 
between prisoners.  NOMS does not use the Home Office counting rule definitions of 
Actual Bodily Harm (ABH), Grievous Bodily Harm (GBH), affray etc. and figures cannot 
be compared directly. 
 
The key population factors determining the risk of involvement in assaults are: 
  
 
Age: Younger prisoners are more likely to assault and be victims than older 
prisoners;19 
 
Time in custody: After the initial induction period, a disproportionate amount of 
assaults occurs in the early stages of custody. 20 
 
Table 4: Assault incidents Summary Statistics, England and Wales 
-Jun 03 -Jun 04 -Jun 05 -Jun 06 -Jun 07 -Jun 08 -Jun 09 -Jun 10 -Jun 11 -Jun 12
ASSAULTS
Assault incidents
11,752
12,192
13,459
14,898
15,082
15,877
15,434
14,713
14,739
15,213
Males
11,014
11,337
12,534
13,727
13,997
14,905
14,630
14,054
14,036
14,610
Females
738
855
925
1,171
1,085
972
804
659
703
603
Assault incidents per 1,000 prisoners
163
164
180
194
189
195
186
174
174
175
Males
163
163
178
190
186
194
186
175
174
176
Females
168
191
211
262
246
219
186
154
168
144
Serious assaults
1,063
1,208
1,256
1,375
1,470
1,523
1,353
1,414
1,341
1,340
Males
1,009
1,139
1,179
1,311
1,408
1,487
1,311
1,372
1,290
1,307
Females
54
69
77
64
62
36
42
42
51
3
Assaults on Staff
2,862
3,084
3,354
3,551
3,386
3,269
3,121
2,977
2,933
3,070
Males
2,575
2,761
3,009
3,064
2,924
2,860
2,821
2,763
2,686
2,888
Females
287
323
345
487
462
409
300
214
247
182
Assault on staff per 1,000 prisoners
40
42
45
46
43
40
38
35
35
35
Males
38
40
43
42
39
37
36
34
33
3
Females
66
72
79
109
105
92
69
50
59
4
Serious assaults on staff
230
286
271
277
283
295
273
290
296
258
Males
214
266
247
251
262
279
257
272
276
247
Females
16
20
24
26
21
16
16
18
20
1
12 months ending
3
5
3
1
 
 
In the 12 months ending June 2012 there were: 
 
 
15,213 assault incidents (a rise of three per cent compared with the previous 12 
months);  
 
175 assaults per 1,000 prisoners (a rise of one per cent);  
 
3,070 assaults (20 per cent of all assaults) on staff (a rise of five per cent 
compared with the previous 12 months);  
 
35 assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners (no change); 
 
258 serious assaults on staff (a fall of 13 per cent compared with the previous 12 
months). 
 
                                                 
19 Safety in Custody: Assaults table 3.3 
20 Safety in Custody: Assaults table 3.4 www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody 
 
16 

 
Overall assault rates are dominated by what happens in the male prison estate which 
accounts for some 95 per cent of the prison population. Assault rates in the male prison 
estate have levelled while those in the female prison estate have fallen (see figure 4).  
 
 
Overall assault rates since 2003 have ranged between 163 and 195 per 1,000 
prisoners;  
 
Having fallen for the preceding five years, assault rates on staff have remained at 
35 per 1,000 prisoners for the last three years;  
 
Until 2009, assault rates in the female prison estate tended to be higher than in 
the male prison estate.  Rates in the female prison estate have been lower for 
the last three years. 
 
 
Figure 4: Total assaults and assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners by gender,  
England and Wales 
0
50
100
150
200
250
300
-Jun 03 -Jun 04 -Jun 05 -Jun 06 -Jun 07
-Jun 08 -Jun 09 -Jun 10 -Jun 11 -Jun 12
Assaults per 1,000 prisoners
Assaults (Male)
Assaults (Female)
Assaults on staff (Male)
Assaults on staff (Female)
 
 
As with the overall rate, the rates of assaults on staff are dominated by what happens in 
the male prison estate. Rates in the male prison estate increased slightly to 35 per 1,000 
prisoners while the figure for the female estate decreased to 43 per 1,000 - less than 
half the rate in some previous years. Assault rates in the female prison estate show a 
stronger downward trend but figures are more volatile. 
 
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.  
 
17 

 
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 population21. 
However, they accounted 59 per cent of all fighters 46 per cent of assailants and 38 per 
cent of victims.22 
 
Compared with self-inflicted deaths and self-harm, the pattern of assaults in the early 
stages of custody is complex.  The first few days in custody tend to be under-
represented  whereas the overall numbers in the first month are over represented.  For 
example. between 2009 and 2011 assailants were involved in assault incidents an 
average of 6 per cent in their first seven days increasing to 18 per cent in their first 30 
days. In the very early stages of custody, prisoners may be held in a first night centre or 
an induction wing.  Others may be sent to a drug wing for detoxification.  At some point, 
those prisoners will be transferred to the general prison population.  The apparent 
increase in assaults at this time may simply reflect an increased opportunity for assaults 
– more prisoners more opportunity.   
 
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.  
 
 
                                                 
21 Offender Management Statistics www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/oms-quarterly 
22 Safety in Custody: Assaults table 3.2 www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody 
18 

 
 
References 
 
HM Inspectorate of Prisons 
 
Prison and YOI inspections (www.justice.gov.uk/publications/inspectorate-
reports/hmi-prisons/prison-and-yoi) 
 
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) 
 
Prisons and 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 

 
List of tables and figures 
 
This is a list of quarterly and annual Safety in Custody Statistics tables and figures.  
Tables 1 to 4 and figures 1 to 4 are included in this publication.  The remaining tables 
are available from the website23.  All tables refer to incidents in prison custody in 
England and Wales.  
 
 
Table description 
Period 
 
 
 
 
Safety in Custody – Summary tables 
 
Table 1 
Safety in custody summary statistics 
Jul 02 - Jun 12 
Table 2 
Deaths in custody summary statistics 
Jul 02 - Jun 12 
Table 3 
Self-harm summary statistics 
Jul 04 - Jun 12 
Table 4 
Assaults summary statistics 
Jul 02 - Jun 12 
Table 5 
Deaths in prison custody by apparent cause by quarter  
Jan 00 - Jun 12 
Table 6 
Self-harm incidents by quarter 
Jan 04 - Jun 12 
Table 7 
Assault incidents by quarter 
Jan 02 - Jun 12 
 
 
 
 
Safety in Custody – Figures 
 
Figure 1 
Deaths per 1,000 prisoners by apparent cause  
Jul 02 - Jun 12 
Figure 2 
Annual Standardised Mortality Ratio (SMR) for prison population 
2002-2011 
Figure 3 
Self-harm individuals per 1,000 prisoners 
Jul 04 - Jun 12 
Figure 4 
Assaults per 1,000 prisoners – total and on staff 
Jul 02 - Jun 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 
 
 
 
 
 
 
                                                 
23 Safety in Custody: Assaults table 3.2 www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-probation/safety-in-custody 
20 

 
 
Table description 
Period 
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 
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 assaults and prisoner on prisoner assaults by establishment 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.15 Annual assaults on staff and on prison officers by establishment 
2000 - 2011 
Table 3.16 Dates of prisons opening/closing and major re-roles of prisons 
2001 - 2011 
21 

 
Data Sources and Data Quality  
 
The data presented in this publication are drawn the NOMS Deaths in Custody 
Database and NOMS Incident Reporting System.  
 
Information relating to deaths in prison custody is closely scrutinised and the data is 
considered to be of high quality. Classifications of deaths however, are not finalised until 
after inquest. As inquests may not be concluded until some years after a death, tables 
dependent on classifications should be treated as provisional. Changes do not generally 
affect reported trends. 
 
As in the community, it is not possible to count self-harm and assaults incidents with 
absolute accuracy. In prison custody, however, such incidents are more likely to be 
detected and counted. The data presented in this report are considered satisfactory for 
determining trends but should not be treated as absolute. 
  
Although care is taken when processing and analysing the returns, the information 
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 shown 
in the tables. Where figures in the tables have been rounded to the nearest whole 
number, the rounded components do not always add to the totals, which are calculated 
and rounded independently. 
 
For a more detailed discussion about data sources and data quality see the ‘Guide to 
Safety in Custody Statistics’24  
 
 
Explanatory notes  
 
The statistics in this bulletin relate to deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in 
England and Wales to the period ending June 2012.  As this is the first time figures have 
been published for years ending June, there are no revisions to be reported. 
 
This is the second quarterly safety in custody bulletin. Following feedback on the first 
edition some technical material has now been included in the accompanying ‘Guide to 
Safety in Custody Statistics’. 
 
Symbols and conventions  
The following symbols have been used throughout the tables in this bulletin:  
 
..  
not available  
0  
nil or less than half the final digit shown 
-  
not applicable  
(p)  Provisional data  
(r)  Revised data  
                                                 
24 Guide to Safety in Custody Statistics which can be found here www.justice.gov.uk/statistics/prisons-and-
probation/safety-in-custody 
 
22 

 
23 
 
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/ 
 
 
Ministry of Justice publishes data relating to offender management in England and 
Wales. Equivalent statistics for Scotland and Northern Ireland can be found at:  
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Crime-Justice  
www.dojni.gov.uk/index/statistics-research/stats-research-publications.htm 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Alternative formats are available on request from xxx@xxx.xx 
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