Deaths in prisons in England and Wales have fallen over the past year, but there are still concerns regarding the numbers of deaths as well as instances of self-harm and violence.

The Ministry of Justice statistics recorded 360 deaths in prison custody in the 12 months to September 2026, a 12% decrease from the previous year. Of these, 66 were classified as self-inflicted, compared with 97 in the preceding 12 months.

The latest government statistics reveal that whilst prison violence has decreased across the board in both male and female establishments, falling by 4.3% down to 29,944, the rate of serious assaults (making up 11% of all assaults) has gone up slightly.

The figures recorded 68,231 incidents of self-harm in the year to June, involving 12,973 individuals, an annual decrease of 10%. While significant, the number is still an increase from the record high that prison violence reached in 2024.

Women in prison face particularly high levels of harm. The latest statistics recorded a self-harm rate more than nine times higher than in men’s prisons, while the assault rate in women’s establishments increased by 8%.

Longer-term figures published by INQUEST on 29 October recorded 3,851 deaths in prison since 2015, including 1,015 classified as self-inflicted. INQUEST said deaths in prison were often preventable and premature. It added that deaths categorised as resulting from natural causes can also reflect failures in prison healthcare and the wider prison system.

Findings from HM Chief Inspector of Prisons’ 2025–26 annual report highlight continuing weaknesses in preventing deaths and responding to self-harm. Most men’s prisons inspected had experienced at least one self-inflicted death since their previous inspection.

Rob Preece, at the Howard League for Penal Reform, said that ‘the prison system is under enormous pressure, with chronic overcrowding, staff shortages and awful conditions that make it close to impossible to rehabilitate people effectively.’