Safety & order
Prisons need to be and feel safe for both staff and prisoners. Violent incidents are the most obvious issue, but this is also about wider culture and atmosphere of the prison and the support it provides to vulnerable prisoners.
Audits and inspections are reported on a 4-point scale, from 1 (lowest rating) to 4 (highest rating). HMIP inspections are up to date as of September 2017. Other measures have data for financial years up to March 2017, and where available, additional notes on the first half of 2017/18.
Visit prisons and probation statistics for data sources and more details.
Prisoner on prisoner assaults per 1,000 prisoners
Assaults in prison custody cover a wide range of violent incidents including fights between prisoners.
From time to time, events in prison custody and developments within and outside the Ministry of Justice 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.
In the first half of financial year 2017-18 (Apr - Sep '17) there were 10,800 prisoner on prisoner assault incidents.
| Year | Prisoner on prisoner assaults per 1,000 prisoners |
|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 227 |
| 2015-16 | 195 |
| 2014-15 | 152 |
| 2013-14 | 138 |
| 2012-13 | 130 |
| 2011-12 | 144 |
| 2010-11 | 134 |
| 2009-10 | 142 |
| 2008-09 | 153 |
| 2007-08 | 154 |
| 2006-07 | 144 |
| 2005-06 | 146 |
| 2004-05 | 131 |
| 2003-04 | 123 |
Assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners
Assaults in prison custody cover a wide range of violent incidents including attacks on staff.
From time to time, events in prison custody and developments within and outside Ministry of Justice 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.
In the first half of financial year 2017-18 (Apr - Sep '17) there were 4,236 assault on staff incidents.
| Year | Assaults on staff per 1,000 prisoners |
|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 84 |
| 2015-16 | 63 |
| 2014-15 | 46 |
| 2013-14 | 40 |
| 2012-13 | 35 |
| 2011-12 | 36 |
| 2010-11 | 34 |
| 2009-10 | 36 |
| 2008-09 | 39 |
| 2007-08 | 40 |
| 2006-07 | 43 |
| 2005-06 | 45 |
| 2004-05 | 42 |
| 2003-04 | 38 |
MQPL safety audit
The MQPL survey of prisoners' perceptions is a validated way of gauging the quality of Decency and Safety, which are vital business aims but difficult to define and measure by other means.
Questionnaire scores are made more meaningful by comparing them to what might typically be expected from prisons of a similar type, but the comparison should not be judged at face value without reference to the specific context of the prison in question.
| MQPL safety audit | Count |
|---|---|
| Rating 4 | 6 |
| Rating 3 | 69 |
| Rating 2 | 32 |
| Rating 1 | 10 |
HMIP safety inspection
An independent assessment by HMIP of the level to which prisoners, even the most vulnerable, are held safely.
| HMIP safety inspection | Count |
|---|---|
| Rating 4 | 27 |
| Rating 3 | 39 |
| Rating 2 | 35 |
| Rating 1 | 19 |
Safer custody audit
Prisons work to reduce the risks of self-harm and suicide through a whole-prison approach. Prisoners who are at risk of self-harm or suicide are identified at an early stage, and a care and support plan is drawn up, implemented and monitored.
This is an internal audit to assess, on a four point scale, how well this work is being carried out within each prison.
| Safer custody audit | Count |
|---|---|
| Rating 4 | 67 |
| Rating 3 | 40 |
| Rating 2 | 10 |
| Rating 1 | 1 |
Self inflicted deaths
The number of self inflicted deaths in prisons.
In the first half of financial year 2017-18 (Apr - Sep '17) there were 27 self inflicted deaths. Deaths are sometimes re-classified following further investigation, so please consider this a provisional figure.
| Year | Self inflicted deaths |
|---|---|
| 2016-17 | 114 |
| 2015-16 | 102 |
| 2014-15 | 79 |
| 2013-14 | 90 |
| 2012-13 | 52 |
| 2011-12 | 67 |
| 2010-11 | 54 |
| 2009-10 | 59 |
| 2008-09 | 64 |
| 2007-08 | 84 |
| 2006-07 | 72 |
| 2005-06 | 74 |
| 2004-05 | 87 |
| 2003-04 | 94 |
| 2002-03 | 106 |
| 2001-02 | 75 |
| 2000-01 | 77 |