Accredited official statistics

Safety in Custody Statistics, England and Wales: Deaths in Prison Custody to September 2025 Assaults and Self-harm to June 2025

Published 30 October 2025

Applies to England and Wales

Main Points

Number of deaths increased from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to September 2025, there were 411 deaths in prison custody, an increase of 30% from 317 deaths in the previous 12 months. Of these, 96 deaths were self-inflicted, an increase of 9% from the 88 self-inflicted deaths in the previous 12 months.
The rate of self-harm increased in male establishments and decreased in female establishments from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to June 2025, the rate of self-harm was 878 incidents per 1,000 prisoners (76,148 incidents), remaining steady (0.3% increase) from the 12 months to June 2024, with a 1.4% increase in male establishments and a 1.3% decrease in female establishments. In the most recent quarter, self-harm incidents were up 1.8% to 18,577, and the rate remained steady (0.1% decrease), with a 1.2% decrease in the rate in male establishments and a 2.6% increase in female establishments.
The rate of individuals who self-harmed increased from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to June 2025, the rate of individuals who self-harmed was 158 individuals per 1,000 prisoners (13,713 individuals), up 1.4% from a rate of 156 in the previous 12 months. The number of self-harm incidents per individual remained at 5.6 in the 12 months to June 2025.
The rate of assaults increased from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to June 2025, the rate of assaults was 361 assaults per 1,000 prisoners (31,268 assaults), up 8% from the 12 months to June 2024. In the most recent quarter, assaults were up 3.0% to 7,941 incidents and the assault rate was up 1.1% to 91 assaults per 1,000 prisoners.
The rate of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to June 2025, the rate of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults was 243 (21,071 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults), up 10% from the 12 months to June 2024 (with a 9% increase in the rate in male establishments and a 26% increase in female establishments). In the latest quarter, the number of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults was up 4.3% to 5,433 incidents.
The rate of assaults on staff increased from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to June 2025, the rate of assaults on staff was 121 assaults per 1,000 prisoners (10,477 assaults on staff), up 2.5% from the 12 months to June 2024 to a new peak (with a 3.0% increase in the rate in male establishments, but a 1.2% decrease in female establishments). In the latest quarter the number of assaults on staff remained steady (up 0.1%) at 2,567 incidents.
The rate of serious assaults increased 11% of all assaults were serious	In the 12 months to June 2025, the rate of serious assaults was 39 serious assaults per 1,000 prisoners (3,395 incidents), up 3.6% from the previous 12 months. The rate of serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults was up 7% to 29 per 1,000 prisoners (2,518 incidents), while the rate of serious assaults on staff was down by 5% but remained at 11 per 1,000 prisoners (916 incidents) in the 12 months to June 2025.

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Statistician’s comment

In the 12 months to September 2025, we have seen an increase in the number of deaths (30% increase). In the 12 months to June 2025, we have seen the number of self-harm incidents remain steady (a 0.3% decrease) and a 7% rise in the number of assault incidents compared with the previous year. The number of incidents of assaults have increased in both male and female establishments over the past 12 months and the number of incidents of self-harm have increased in male establishments in the past 12 months. The number and rate of assaults in female establishments and the number and the rate of self-harm incidents in male establishments have reached their highest level in the time series^{[footnote 1]}.

The number of deaths has increased from 317 to 411 in the 12 months to September 2025, with the rate of deaths increasing from 3.6 deaths per 1,000 prisoners to 4.7 deaths per 1,000 prisoners over the same time period. This was mainly driven by rises in deaths from natural causes and deaths awaiting further information. There were 96 self-inflicted deaths^{[footnote 2][footnote 3]} in the latest year, an increase from 88 in the previous year. The rate of self-inflicted deaths has remained broadly stable at around 1.0 deaths per 1,000 prisoners since the 12 months to September 2018. There were 6 homicides in the 12 months to September 2025, an increase from 5 homicides in the previous 12 months. In most calendar years there are usually between 0 and 3 total homicides.

The rate^{[footnote 4][footnote 5]} of self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners in the 12 months to June 2025 remained steady (0.3% increase). There was an increase in the rate of self-harm incidents in the male estate (up 1.4% to 673 incidents per 1,000 prisoners) but a decrease in the rate of self-harm incidents in the female estate (down 1.3% to 5,714 per 1,000 prisoners). The rate is still more than eight times higher in female establishments than male establishments. The decrease in the rate in the female estate was driven by a decrease in the average number of incidents among those who self-harmed in female establishments, from 17.5 to 17.2, while the rate of individuals self-harming remained steady (a 0.5% increase). For the male establishments, there was an increase in the rate of individuals self-harming (up 1.6% to 151 self-harming individuals per 1,000 prisoners), while the average number of incidents among those who self-harmed remained unchanged at 4.5.

The rate of assault incidents per 1,000 prisoners increased 8% to 361 incidents per 1,000 prisoners in the 12 months to June 2025, and the rate of serious assaults increased 3.6% to 39 incidents per 1,000 prisoners over the same period. The rate of assaults was 73% higher in female establishments than in male establishments. In female establishments the rate of assault incidents increased by 12% to a peak of 606 per 1,000 prisoners, compared to an increase of 7% in male establishments (to 350 per 1,000 prisoners). The proportion of assaults in female establishments that were serious remains lower, at 7% compared with 11% in male establishments, despite the rate of serious assaults being higher in female establishments (down 2.4% to a rate of 44 per 1,000 prisoners) than male establishments (up 3.9% to a rate of 39 per 1,000 prisoners).

In the 12 months to June 2025, the rate of assaults on staff increased 2.5% to 121 incidents per 1,000 prisoners, with a 3.0% increase in male establishments (to 114 per 1,000 prisoners) and 1.2% decrease in female establishments (to 287 per 1,000 prisoners). During the same period, the rate of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased 10% to 243 incidents per 1,000 prisoners, with a 9% increase in male establishments (to 240 per 1,000 prisoners) and a 26% increase in female establishments (to 322 per 1,000 prisoners).

Background

Safety in custody statistics cover deaths, self-harm and assaults in prison custody in England and Wales, with figures in the summary tables in the quarterly publications presented on a 12-month rolling basis over an 11 year time series^{[footnote 6]}. This release provides statistics on deaths of prisoners to the end of September 2025, and statistics on assaults and self-harm up to the end of June 2025.

The total prison population has remained steady in the latest year^{[footnote 7]} following a large increase in the prison population since 2021, particularly for certain population groups such as remand^{[footnote 8]}. As at 30th September 2025 the prison population was around 500 (0.6%) higher than at the end of September 2024. The prison population as of 30th September 2025 remains around 9,600 or 12% higher than at the end of April 2021. Both the male and female prison populations have increased by 12% from the end of April 2021.

These changes in population should be borne in mind when interpreting changes in the numbers of incidents over time. In the context of substantial population change, rates per 1,000 prisoners more accurately describe changes in the likelihood of incidents occurring^{[footnote 9]}. Data on deaths, self-harm and assaults are routinely presented as rates of incidents per 1,000 prisoners (as well as numbers) for all prisoners and for the male and female estates.

The comparability of statistics between 2020 and 2022 with other time periods is affected by the differing levels of restrictions implemented within prisons to limit and control the spread of the Covid-19 virus through the National Framework. These restrictions included the implementation of effective isolation of prisoners to reduce the spread of Covid-19, reverse cohorting of new prisoners into custody, and shielding of vulnerable prisoners.

Between November 2022 and November 2024, in order to make the best use of capacity across the estate in the light of recent increases in the prison population, young people were routinely retained in the Youth Custody Service (YCS) estate until their 19th birthday (rather than transferring to an adult prison on or soon after their 18th birthday, as previously occurred in most cases).

This means the age demographic in the young people’s estate, but also in adult prisons, is slightly different compared to previous years.

Supplementary annual tables, providing more in-depth statistics on a calendar year basis, underlying data files with pivot tables providing lower-level granularity, and a technical guidance document are also available alongside this bulletin, at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics.

Deaths: 12 months to September 2025

Number of deaths increased from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to September 2025, there were 411 deaths in prison custody, an increase of 30% from 317 deaths in the previous 12 months. In the most recent quarter there were 94 deaths, an 18% increase from 80 deaths in the previous quarter.
Number of self-inflicted deaths increased from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to September 2025, there were 96 self-inflicted deaths, a 9% increase from 88 in the previous 12 months. There were 27 self-inflicted deaths in the most recent quarter, a 93% increase from 14 in the previous quarter. Quarterly deaths figures should be considered with caution due to greater volatility.

Figure 1: Quarterly 12-month rolling rate of deaths per 1,000 prisoners, 12 months ending September 2015 to 12 months ending September 2025, with quarterly rates

In the 12 months to September 2025, there were 411 deaths in prison custody (a rate of 4.7 per 1,000 prisoners), a 30% increase from 317 deaths in the previous 12 months (a rate of 3.6 per 1,000 prisoners). The number of deaths is now at the highest level in the time series. Long-term trends and more detail are presented in the annual tables^{[footnote 10]}.

Over the same period, there were 221 deaths due to natural causes (a rate of 2.5 per 1,000 prisoners), a 14% increase from 194 deaths by natural causes in the previous 12 months (a rate of 2.2 per 1,000 prisoners). This is the highest level of deaths due to natural causes in the time series outside of years impacted by the COVID pandemic.

There were 96 apparent self-inflicted deaths in the 12 months to September 2025 (a rate of 1.1 per 1,000 prisoners), an increase of 9% from 88 self-inflicted deaths in the previous 12 months (a rate of 1.0 per 1,000 prisoners). The rate of self-inflicted deaths has remained broadly stable at around 1.0 per 1,000 prisoners since the 12 months to September 2018.

There were 6 homicides in the 12 months to September 2025, an increase from 5 homicides in the previous 12 months. In most calendar years there are usually between 0 and 3 total homicides.

There were 88 deaths recorded as ‘Other’ in the 12 months to September 2025, an increase from 30 in the previous 12 months. Of those 88 deaths, 59 are ‘awaiting further information’ prior to being classified. In some cases, the results of the toxicology and post-mortem tests are inconclusive, meaning classification cannot be arrived at until Coroner’s inquest takes place (which can be a considerable time after the death). As a result, the number and rate of deaths in the individual categories are not directly comparable with earlier years: it is likely that numbers in some categories will be revised upwards once classifications have been finalised.

In the most recent quarter there were 94 deaths, an 18% increase from 80 deaths in the previous quarter. There were 27 self-inflicted deaths in the latest quarter, a 93% increase from 14 in the previous quarter. However, quarterly death figures should be considered with caution due to greater volatility and the potential for seasonal effects^{[footnote 11]}.

Self-harm: 12 months to June 2025

The rate of self-harm incidents increased in the male estate and decreased in the female estate from the previous 12-month period	There were 76,148 self-harm incidents in the 12 months to June 2025, remaining steady (a 0.3% decrease) from the previous 12 months, with a 0.8% increase in male establishments and a 3.2% decrease in female establishments. Over the same period the rate of self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners increased by 1.4% in male establishments but decreased by 1.3% in female establishments. In the most recent quarter, there were 18,577 self-harm incidents, up 1.8% on the previous quarter (a 0.6% increase in male establishments and a 4.7% increase in female establishments). Over the same period the rate of self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners decreased 1.2% in male establishments but increased 2.6% in female establishments.
The number of individuals who self-harmed increased by 0.8% in the latest year	There were 13,713 individuals who self-harmed in the 12 months to June 2025, a 0.8% increase from 13,600 in the previous 12 months. The number of self-harm incidents per self-harming individual remained at 5.6 in the 12 months to June 2025.

Figure 2: Quarterly 12-month rolling rate of self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners, 12 months ending June 2015 to 12 months ending June 2025, with quarterly rates

In the 12 months to June 2025, there were 76,148 reported incidents of self-harm (a rate of 878 per 1,000 prisoners). The number of incidents of self-harm remained steady (a decrease of 0.3%) from 76,370 in the previous 12 months. The rate of incidents in the latest 12 months also remained steady (an increase of 0.3%) from the previous 12 months.

On a quarterly basis, the number of incidents in the three months to June 2025 increased by 1.8% from the previous quarter, increasing from 18,256 to 18,577 incidents. The rate of incidents of self-harm in the three months to June 2025 remained steady (decreased by 0.1%) from the previous quarter, at 213 incidents per 1,000 prisoners.

The number of individuals who self-harmed increased by 0.8% to 13,713 in the latest 12 months, from 13,600 in the previous 12 months, the highest number of individuals within the time series. The rate, or proportion, of prisoners self-harming in the latest 12 months increased by 1.4% to 158 (also a new peak), from 156 in the previous 12 months. The number of incidents per self-harming individual in the latest 12 months was 5.6, staying the same as the previous year. A small number of individuals who repeatedly self-harm have a disproportionate impact on this figure: just over a half (54%) of prisoners who self-harmed in 2024 did so more than once.

The number of self-harm incidents requiring hospital attendance^{[footnote 12]} decreased by 4.8% (to 3,283) in the 12 months to June 2025 but increased by 14% in the latest quarter (to 805 incidents). The proportion of incidents that required hospital attendance decreased from 4.5% in the 12 months to June 2024 to 4.3% in the 12 months to June 2025.

Self-harm levels differ considerably by sex. Although the number of incidents in the female estate is smaller than in the male estate, the rate of self-harm per 1,000 prisoners is much higher. In the 12 months to June 2025, there were 55,974 incidents in the male estate compared with 20,174 in the female estate, representing a 0.8% increase in male establishments but a 3.2% decrease in female establishments compared to the previous year. The number of incidents and rate of self-harm are now at the highest level in the time series in the male estate. However, the rate of self-harm in the female estate (5,714 incidents per 1,000 prisoners) remains more than eight times higher than in the male estate (673 incidents per 1,000 prisoners).

On a quarterly basis, the number of incidents in the three months to June 2025 increased by 0.6% in male establishments and increased by 4.7% in female establishments compared with the previous three months. The rate decreased by 1.2% in male establishments but increased by 2.6% in female establishments in the latest quarter.

The number of incidents per individual who self-harmed in female establishments was almost 4 times that in male establishments. In the 12 months to June 2025 there was 17.2 incidents of self-harm per self-harming female, a decrease from 17.5 in the previous 12 months, compared with 4.5 incidents per self-harming male, unchanged from the previous 12 months.

The proportion of females self-harming in the latest 12 months was 333 individuals per 1,000 prisoners, an increase of 0.5% from 331 individuals per 1,000 prisoners in the previous 12 months. The decrease in the rate of self-harm in the female estate occurred despite this increase in the proportion of females self-harming, as a result of the decrease in incidents per individual. In contrast, the increase in the rate of self-harm in the male estate is driven by an increase in the proportion of males self-harming (1.6% increase to a peak of 151 individuals per 1,000 prisoners).

Figure 3: Quarterly 12-month rolling rate of self-harm incidents per 1,000 prisoners by sex of establishment, 12 months ending June 2015 to 12 months ending June 2025

Self-harm incidents requiring hospital attendance decreased in male establishments by 2.1%, to 2,976 in the 12 months to June 2025, and the proportion of incidents requiring hospital attendance decreased from 5.5% in the previous 12 months to 5.3% in the latest 12 months^{[footnote 13]}. In the female estate 307 self-harm incidents required hospital attendance, a 25% decrease from 407 incidents the previous year, and the proportion of incidents in the female estate requiring hospital attendance decreased from 2.0% in the previous 12 months to 1.5% in the latest 12 months.

As Figure 3 shows, over the last decade there has been more variation in the quarterly rate of self-harm in the female estate than in the male estate. This may in part reflect the impact of the small number of individuals who repeatedly self-harm being greater in the female estate.

Assaults: 12 months to June 2025

Assaults and serious assaults increased from the previous 12-month period	In the 12 months to June 2025, there were 31,268 assault incidents, a 7% increase from the previous 12 months. Of these, 3,395 were serious assaults, up 2.9%. The rate of assault increased by 8% to 361 incidents per 1,000 prisoners, and the rate of serious assaults increased by 3.6% to 39 per 1,000 prisoners in the latest 12 months. Assaults increased by 3.0% in the latest quarter to 7,941 incidents while the number of serious assaults decreased by 0.8% to 844 incidents.
The rate of assault per 1,000 prisoners remained higher in female than male establishments	The rate of assault in male establishments increased by 7% from the previous 12 months, while the rate in female establishments increased by 12%. Assault rates for the 12 months to June 2025 remained higher in female establishments (606 incidents per 1,000 prisoners) than in male establishments (350 incidents per 1,000 prisoners). Both the number of incidents and the rate reached a new peak in female establishments in the latest 12 months.
Prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased from the previous 12-month period	There were 21,071 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in the 12 months to June 2025, a 9% increase from the previous 12 months. In the latest quarter, the number of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased 4.3% to 5,433 incidents. In the latest 12 months, the rate of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased 10% to 243 incidents per 1,000 prisoners. During this period, the rate increased 9% to 240 assaults per 1,000 prisoners in male establishments and increased 26% to 322 assaults per 1,000 prisoners in female establishments.
Assaults on staff increased from the previous 12-month period	There were 10,477 assaults on staff in the 12 months to June 2025, a 1.9% increase from the previous 12 months and a new peak. In the latest quarter the number of assaults on staff remained steady (up 0.1%) compared to the previous quarter at 2,567 incidents. In the latest 12 months, the rate of assaults on staff increased by 2.5% to 121 incidents per 1,000 prisoners, also a new peak. During this period, the rate in male establishments increased by 3.0% to 114 assaults per 1,000 prisoners but decreased by 1.2% to 287 assaults per 1,000 prisoners in female establishments.

Figure 4: Quarterly 12-month rolling rate of total assaults by sex of establishment, 12 months ending June 2015 to 12 months ending June 2025, with quarterly rates

In the 12 months to June 2025, assault incidents increased by 7% to 31,268 (a rate of 361 incidents per 1,000 prisoners) from 29,252 in the previous 12 months. The rate of assaults in the latest 12 months was 8% higher than in the previous 12 months. The number and rate of assault incidents remained lower than pre-pandemic levels (1.2% and 6% lower respectively when compared to the 12 months to June 2019).

In the latest quarter there were 7,941 assaults, up 3.0% from the previous quarter. The number of assaults and the quarterly rate remain lower than their peak in the July to September 2018 quarter.

The number of incidents in male establishments increased by 7% to 29,127 in the 12 months to June 2025 (a rate of 350 per 1,000 prisoners), from 27,299 in the previous 12 months. The rate of assaults in male establishments in the latest 12 months was 7% higher than in the previous 12 months.

The number of incidents in female establishments increased by 10% to 2,141 incidents in the 12 months to June 2025 (a rate of 606 per 1,000 prisoners), from 1,953 in the previous 12 months. The rate of assaults in female establishments in the latest 12 months was 12% higher than in the previous 12 months. The rate and number of incidents in the female estate are now at their highest level in the time series^{[footnote 14]}.

In the latest quarter, the number of assaults in male establishments increased by 2.5% to 7,374 incidents, compared to an increase of 9% in female establishments (to 567 assaults). During this period the rate of assaults increased 1.1% to 91 assaults per 1,000 prisoners, which comprises a 0.7% increase in male establishments (remaining at 88 assaults per 1,000 prisoners) and a 7% increase in female establishments (to 161 assaults per 1,000 prisoners). In the latest quarter, both the number and rate of assault incidents peaked in female establishments.

Figure 5: Quarterly 12-month rolling rate of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults and assaults on staff, 12 months ending June 2015 to 12 months ending June 2025, with quarterly rates

There were 21,071 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults^{[footnote 15]} in the 12 months to June 2025 (a rate of 243 per 1,000 prisoners), an increase of 9% from the 19,280 assaults in the previous 12 months. The rate of prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in the latest 12 months was 10% higher than in the previous 12 months. In the latest quarter, there were 5,433 prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, a 4.3% increase from 5,209 in the previous quarter.

There were 10,477 assaults on staff^{[footnote 16]} in the 12 months to June 2025 (a rate of 121 per 1,000 prisoners), an increase of 1.9% from the 10,284 assaults in the previous 12 months. The rate of assaults on staff in the latest 12 months was 2.5% higher than in the previous 12 months. Both the number of incidents and the rate of assaults on staff reached a new peak. In the latest quarter, assaults on staff remained steady at 2,567 incidents (a slight increase of 0.1%) from the previous quarter.

The proportion of assaults on staff^{[footnote 17]} decreased to 34% of all incidents in the 12 months to June 2025 from 35% in the previous 12 months. In the 12 months to June 2025, the proportion of assaults that were on staff remained higher in female establishments (47%) than in male establishments (32%).

In male establishments, prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased by 9% to 19,934 incidents (240 incidents per 1,000 male prisoners) in the 12 months to June 2025, and the rate also increased by 9%. Assaults on staff increased 2.4% to reach a new peak of 9,464 incidents, and the rate increased by 3.0% to 114 incidents per 1,000 male prisoners.

In female establishments, prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased by 24% to a new peak of 1,137 incidents (322 incidents per 1,000 female prisoners) in the 12 months to June 2025, and the rate increased by 26%, also to a new peak. Assaults on staff decreased by 3.2% to 1,013 incidents (287 incidents per 1,000 female prisoners) in the 12 months to June 2025, and the rate decreased by 1.2%.

Serious Assaults

Of the 31,268 assault incidents, 3,395 (11%) were serious	In the 12 months to June 2025, there were 3,395 serious assault incidents, a 2.9% increase from the previous 12 months. The rate of serious assaults increased by 3.6% over the period. Serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased by 6% to 2,518, while serious assaults on staff decreased by 6% to 916 in the 12 months to June 2025.

Serious assaults are those which fall into one or more of the following categories: a sexual assault; requires detention in outside hospital as an in-patient; requires medical treatment for concussion or internal injuries; or incurs any of the following injuries: a fracture, scald or burn, stabbing, crushing, extensive or multiple bruising, black eye, broken nose, lost or broken tooth, cuts requiring suturing, bites, temporary or permanent blindness.

Figure 6: Quarterly 12-month rolling rate of total serious assaults, serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, and serious assaults on staff, 12 months ending June 2015 to 12 months ending June 2025

In the latest 12 months, 11% of assaults were serious assaults. This is unchanged from 11% in the previous 12 months to June 2024 and has remained broadly consistent throughout the time series. The proportion of all assaults that were serious remained higher in male establishments (11%) than in female establishments (7%).

In the 12 months to June 2025, there were 3,395 serious assaults (a rate of 39 per 1,000 prisoners), a 2.9% increase from the previous 12 months. The rate of serious assaults in the latest 12 months was 3.6% higher than in the previous 12 months. The rate was higher in female establishments than male establishments for the second year in a row after being higher for the first time in the previous 12 months. In the latest quarter, serious assaults remained relatively unchanged at 844 incidents (a 0.8% decrease from the previous quarter).

There were 2,518 serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults (a rate of 29 per 1,000 prisoners) in the 12 months to June 2025, a 6% increase from 2,369 in the previous 12 months. The rate of serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults in the latest 12 months was 7% higher than in the previous 12 months. In the 12 months to June 2025, the rate of serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults increased by 2.0% in female establishments (to a new peak of 27 per 1,000 prisoners), while there was a 7% increase in male establishments (to 29 per 1,000 prisoners)^{[footnote 18]}. In the latest quarter, there were 628 serious prisoner-on-prisoner assaults, a 2.2% decrease from the previous quarter.

There were 916 serious assaults on staff (a rate of 11 per 1,000 prisoners) in the 12 months to June 2025, a 6% decrease from 971 in the previous 12 months. The rate of serious assaults on staff was 5% lower than in the previous 12 months, with the rate decreasing 7% in female establishments (to 17 incidents per 1,000 prisoners) and decreasing 4.9% in male establishments (to 10 incidents per 1,000 prisoners). In the latest quarter, the number of serious assaults on staff remained relatively unchanged at 227 incidents (a 0.9% increase from the previous quarter)^{[footnote 19]}.

Further Information

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Accompanying files

As well as this bulletin, the following products are published as part of this release:

• A technical guide providing further information on how the data are collected and processed, as well as information on the revisions policy and legislation relevant to sentencing trends and background on the functioning of the criminal justice system.
• A set of summary tables for the latest quarter, and annual tables up to the latest calendar year.
• Underlying data files with pivot tables, giving lower level granularity.

Contact

Press enquiries should be directed to the Ministry of Justice press office: Tel: 020 3334 3536 Email: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ministry-of-justice/about/media-enquiries

Other enquiries about these statistics should be directed to:

Prison Safety Statistics Analysis Team

Analysis Directorate,
Ministry of Justice,
102 Petty France,
London,
SW1H 9AJ

Email: OMSQ-SiC-publications@justice.gov.uk

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR). OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to. You are welcome to contact us directly, using the details above, with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Next update: January 2026

URL: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/safety-in-custody-statistics

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1. The time series for assault incidents starts in 2000, and self-harm incidents starts in 2004. ↩

2. Apparent cause is based on the HMPPS classification of deaths in prison custody. Self-inflicted deaths are any death of a person who has apparently taken his or her own life irrespective of intent. This not only includes suicides but also accidental deaths as a result of the person’s own actions. This classification is used because it is not always known whether a person intended to die by suicide. ↩

3. Any death of a person who has voluntarily taken their own life - a verdict determined at inquest. As inquests will not have occurred at the time HMPPS publishes deaths statistics, HMPPS makes no attempt to attribute intent (which is the responsibility of the coroner/inquest). HMPPS does not produce official statistics on suicides but does monitor inquest verdicts to ensure that classifications of deaths are consistent. ↩

4. Rates reflect the changes in the number of incidents, as well as the changes in prison population over time. More information can be found in the accompanying guide. Data on population statistics are published in the Offender Management Statistics Quarterly publication https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly. ↩

5. See Guide to Safety in Custody Statistics for a summary of how rates are calculated. ↩

6. Data on deaths is published three months ahead of self-harm and assaults. Therefore, the deaths annual publication and tables are published alongside the Safety in Custody quarterly update to September publication. ↩

7. The prison population decreased throughout 2024 due to factors including “End of Custody Supervised License” and earlier release from certain determinate sentences (“SDS40”). ↩

8. https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/offender-management-statistics-quarterly. Quarterly population data to December 2024 is published in Offender Management Statistics Quarterly Bulletin, England and Wales Quarterly. ↩

9. The comparability over the year of other measures that are based on self-harming individuals (such as the number of incidents per self-harming individual, or the proportion of incidents requiring hospital attendance) are not affected by changes in population size. ↩

10. Data on deaths are published three months ahead of assaults and self-harm, therefore, the annual publication Deaths in prison custody for 1978 to 2024 is published in the Safety in Custody quarterly update to September 2024. ↩

11. Seasonal effects refer to variation in time series data that occur at regular intervals (typically intervals shorter than a year e.g. monthly or quarterly). ↩

12. An incident of self-harm requiring hospitalisation does not only reflect the seriousness of the incident. This also depends on the healthcare facilities at the establishment, which vary across the estate. ↩

13. An incident of self-harm requiring hospitalisation does not only reflect the seriousness of the incident. This also depends on the healthcare facilities at the establishment, which vary across the estate. ↩

14. The time series for assault incidents starts in 2000, and self-harm incidents starts in 2004. ↩

15. This figure includes any prisoner-on-prisoner assaults where there may also have been an assault on staff. ↩

16. There was a change in how staff assaults have been recorded from April 2017, this has simplified how incidents involving staff are identified, however it is possible this has increased the recording of incidents. Please see the Guide to Safety in Custody statistics for further information. ↩

17. Some assault incidents may be recorded as both a prisoner-on-prisoner assault and an assault on staff, so the sum of the two categories may exceed the total number of assaults. ↩

18. The time series for assault incidents starts in 2000, and self-harm incidents starts in 2004. ↩

19. Due to a low number of incidents for serious assaults, a small increase or decrease in incidents can lead to a large percentage change. ↩

20. Accredited official statistics are called National Statistics in the Statistics and Registration Service Act 2007. ↩