Record number of deaths in prison amid Covid surge, figures show

Average of 12 inmates dying each week in first three months of 2021 – 40 per cent higher than previous quarter

Official data shows 154 deaths were recorded between January and March 2021, 45 more than in the previous quarter and a record high quarterly total (PA)

A record number of deaths occurred in prisons across England and Wales in the first three months of this year, new figures show.

Government data reveals that 154 deaths were recorded between January and March 2021, 45 more than in the previous quarter and the highest quarterly total on record. On average, 12 inmates died each week.

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said the stark rise had been driven by deaths related to Covid-19. Separate MoJ data shows that 69 coronavirus deaths were recorded in prisons between 28 December and 29 March.

The number of weekly Covid deaths has dropped significantly since March, however, with three recorded in the first three weeks of April.

Overall, in the year to March 2021, there were 408 deaths in prison custody, an increase of 42 per cent from 287 deaths over the previous 12 months. Of the 408 deaths, 79 were self-inflicted, a 4 per cent drop from the 82 self-inflicted deaths in the previous year.

Although Covid deaths in jails have fallen in recent weeks, the figures will fuel fears that inmates are at higher risk of contracting the disease.

Last month, research by University College London (UCL) concluded that prisoners were three times as likely to die from the coronavirus as the general population and should therefore be prioritised in the vaccine rollout.

They found that there were 118 deaths related to Covid-19 among prison inmates in England and Wales between March 2020 and February 2021, which they said constituted a risk of dying that was 3.3 times higher than that of people of the same age and sex in the community.

This is despite extensive coronavirus restrictions, including prisons keeping many inmates in their cells for 23 hours a day, which the prisons watchdog has warned are leading to a “disturbing” decline in the emotional and physical wellbeing of inmates.

The MoJ said the UCL study was “highly misleading”, saying the numbers did not adjust for worse health in prisons and the fact that thousands of people enter and exit prisons each year. They cited a lower figure of 93 deaths where Covid-19 was mentioned as a contributory factor.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “Prisons have been largely forgotten in this pandemic, but today’s figures reveal the devastating impact of Covid-19 on people living and working behind bars.

“A prison is the grimmest place to die. Hundreds of families are grieving. Thousands more have been denied the chance to see their loved ones. Tens of thousands of people have been held in overcrowded conditions or solitary confinement for months on end.”

She said that with infections now falling following the “alarming spike” in Covid cases at the beginning of this year, it was time for restrictions to be “eased safely and swiftly, and for sensible policies that ensure fewer people are put in harm’s way if we see such a crisis again”.

The data also shows that there were 55,542 self-harm incidents in the 12 months to December 2020 – a rate of one every nine and a half minutes. This constitutes an overall reduction of 13 per cent compared with 2019, although the number of incidents recorded in women’s prisons rose slightly.

Over the same period, prisons recorded 21,489 assaults – a 34 per cent fall compared with the figures for the previous 12 months, a drop that has been attributed largely to the fact that prisons were running severely restricted regimes in response to the Covid-19 pandemic.

At the end of March 2021, there were 12,262 people in prison awaiting trial or sentence – the highest number at that point of the calendar year since 2011.

Prisons and probation minister Alex Chalk said: “Our dedicated staff kept thousands of prisoners safe and supported over the last year in extremely difficult circumstances, but our thoughts remain with the family and friends of those who lost their lives.

“Decisive action protected people but we recognise the impact of the necessary restrictions on prisoners, which is why we rolled out video calls, in-cell education and an even greater focus on wellbeing and mental health.”