Violence in prisons up 27pc amid overcrowding crisis
Violence in overcrowded prisons has risen by nearly a third to a post-pandemic high, Ministry of Justice (MoJ) figures showed on Thursday.
Assaults increased by 27 per cent to 28,292 in the year to March compared with 22,318 in the previous year, edging toward the highest number on record of more than 30,000 in 2018/19.
Shabana Mahmood, the Justice Secretary, said the figures explained why she had “no choice but to act” in deciding to release more than 5,000 prisoners after they had completed 40 per cent of their sentences instead of at the halfway point.
“Our prisons are in crisis, leading to endemic violence and harm behind bars. These statistics reveal what is really happening inside jails today, and why we had no choice but to act,” she said.
Assaults on staff were up by 24 per cent to 9,847, equivalent to 114 attacks per 1,000 prisoners. Of these, one in 10 were deemed “serious”, which includes requiring medical attention for a fracture, cut, stabbing or blindness.
The MoJ said violence and self-harm in prison has risen to “unacceptable” levels as overcrowding pushed prisons to the “point of collapse.” It added it had been made worse by the availability of drugs across the prison estate, with a 44 per cent increase in annual drug finds.
Self-harm rates have hit their highest level since records began, with 73,804 incidents in the last year – an increase of 16 per cent compared with the previous year and equivalent to one prisoner injuring themselves every seven minutes.
Prison officials said overcrowding was a key factor in the rise in violence and self-harm, with the number of prisoners officially classed as having overcrowded conditions increasing to 23.6 per cent of the total.
The MoJ said this meant prisons, which have been operating at 99 per cent capacity since the beginning of 2023, had struggled to give inmates the time out of cells and purposeful activity needed to drive down violence, self-harm and drugs.
The performance of more than 40 per cent of adult prisons in England and Wales has been rated as of “concern”, according to MoJ data.
Out of the 119 adult prisons in England and Wales, just over four in 10 (42 per cent) were rated of “concern” or of “serious concern”.
London prisons such as the high-security jails Belmarsh and Feltham B were among the 35 rated of concern, while the 15 considered to be of serious concern included the category B facilities Wandsworth and Pentonville. The number rated of serious concern has increased by six since the previous 12-month period.
Just 13 facilities were awarded the highest rating of outstanding, the annual prison performance ratings for 2023/24 showed.
Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said: “Today’s figures are a shameful reflection of just how far safety in our prisons has fallen.
“In the last year alone, we have seen more self-harming, by more people, more often; and further rises in assaults between prisoners, and on staff. The Government has a serious task ahead to try to restore safety and stability to our jails.”
An internal assessment has also found that 10 of the 12 probation regions in England and Wales are underperforming – having been rated either “inadequate” or “requires improvements” in key areas such as helping offenders into work.
The MoJ also admitted that during the early release operated in the past year by the Tories, the number of prison leavers finding a steady job, crucial to preventing reoffending, dropped substantially.