News

With both reductions and increases in deaths across prisons and police custody, the latest figures continue to highlight the need to protect vulnerable people in the criminal justice system, ensure lessons are learned and prevent avoidable harm. 

The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) has appointed a new Chair, Wendy Sinclair‑Gieben. 

Collaborative approach essential to preventing suicides in and following police custody in England and Wales, says IAPDC.

This report warns that the absence of independent investigations of deaths under the Mental Health Act (MHA) risks critical learning being lost, undermining efforts to prevent future deaths and leaving bereaved families without answers.

Deaths in custody are projected to rise significantly over the next five years, driven by a growing custodial population and continuing prison overcrowding. Our new report, published today, explores how increases in the prison population and occupancy pressures may affect future mortality trends across different causes of death, including deaths from self-inflicted causes and physical health-related deaths (such as cancer and heart disease).

Today we publish our workplan which sets out our priorities for 2025/26. We have committed to driving forward a wide range of key workstreams – spanning all the main areas of state detention – with the central aim of preventing both natural and self-inflicted deaths.