The past year saw an 11% rise in
prison suicides, more deaths from natural causes and eligible
complaints up 9%, said Prisons and Probation Ombudsman Nigel
Newcomen. Today he published his sixth and final annual report
and warned that these statistics, combined with high levels of
violence and incidents of significant disorder, indicate a prison
system still very much in crisis.
The Prisons and Probation Ombudsman (PPO)
independently investigates the circumstances of each death in
custody and identifies lessons that need to be learned to improve
safety. In 2016-17:
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PPO investigations were started into 361 deaths,
19% more than the year before;
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the PPO began 19% more investigations into
deaths from natural causes (208 deaths), largely as a
consequence of rising numbers of older prisoners;
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investigations were started into 115
self-inflicted deaths, an 11% increase on last year’s record
number of self-inflicted deaths (104) ;
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there were four apparent homicides, a decrease
from six the previous year;
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investigations started into three deaths of
immigration removal estate residents, the same figure as the
previous year; and
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a further 16 deaths were classified as ‘other
non-natural’ (usually drug related).
Nigel Newcomen said:
“The previous Government recognised the need for
reform and a range of changes to the prison system was begun.
However, the problems are significant and systemic. Reforms will
founder unless they are underpinned by a transformation in prison
safety.
“One of the systemic failures is the apparent
inability of prisons under pressure to learn lessons or to
sustain improvement based on that learning. It is not lack of
knowledge, but a lack of effective action that is at issue. This
level of repeat failure must not be allowed to continue. As I
leave office, I must hope that prisons and their hard-pressed
staff can emerge from a uniquely challenging and dispiriting
period and address the well-evidenced concerns of scrutiny bodies
such as mine.
On suicides, he said:
“Self-inflicted deaths rose 11% last year. While I
welcome the fact that this rate of increase was less rapid than
the 34% increase the year before, it was still unacceptably high.
I do not think there is a simple, single explanation for these
continued increases. Each self-inflicted death is the tragic
culmination of an individual crisis for which there can be a
myriad of triggers.
“Some major themes emerge from my investigations
that must be acted upon, for example the pervasiveness of mental
ill-health and an epidemic of new psychoactive drugs, but
whatever the explanation for the rise, self-inflicted deaths are
just too prevalent in prison. That is why the safety net of
effective suicide prevention work is essential, although too
often my investigations identify repeated failings in these
procedures.
The other principal part of the PPO’s remit is the
independent investigation of complaints. In 2016-17:
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the total number of new complaints received was
5,010, a 5% increase on the previous year;
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2,568 investigations were started, compared to
2,357 cases the year before;
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overall, 2,313 investigations were completed, 23
more than 2015-16;
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in 39% of the investigations, the PPO found in
favour of the complainant, compared with only 23% in
2011-12; and
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the largest category of complaints was about
lost, damaged and confiscated property.
Nigel Newcomen said:
“The ability to complain effectively is integral
to a legitimate and civilised prison system. A meaningful
internal complaints process, overseen by an independent
adjudicator, such as my office, is an important means for
prisoners to ventilate grievances legitimately. It can also help
avoid illegitimate explosions of anger about perceived failings,
which have been all too common in prisons in the past
year.
“Many of the complaints reaching my office should
have been resolved at source by an effective local complaints
process. When prisons fail to manage complaints effectively, it
leads to frustration for prisoners, places additional burdens on
staff and uses up my scarce resources, which could be better
deployed on more serious or complex cases. The prison reform
agenda needs to include a requirement on each prison to have a
fully functioning complaints process.”
The recommendations made as a result of PPO
investigations are key to making improvements in safety and
fairness in custody. The past year also saw the publication of a
range of learning lessons publications which look across
individual investigations to identify broader themes. In 2016-17,
six bulletins were published. Two provided important
analyses of how prisons should respond to violence. One of these
set out lessons from investigations into homicide in prison.
Another provided lessons to minimise the inappropriate use of
force by staff having to deal with escalating rates of assault.
Other bulletins looked at how to support particularly vulnerable
populations: children, transgender prisoners and elderly
prisoners with dementia. The year’s final bulletin identified
lessons to reduce the increase in self-inflicted deaths of female
prisoners.
Nigel Newcomen said:
“I leave office shortly and do so with a mixture
of pride in the efforts of my staff to contribute to safer,
fairer custody, and sadness that I can report only limited
improvement in prison safety and conditions over the past
year.”
