News

The Independent Advisory Panel on Deaths in Custody (IAPDC) welcomes the recommendations of the Sentencing Review, particularly its focus on reducing reliance on custody and strengthening community alternatives.

The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) has today published updated guidance on preventing deaths in custody and following release.

Statistics published by the Ministry of Justice and HMPPS show a concerning rise in prison deaths, increasing by 10% to 342 deaths in 2024.

The Lord Chancellor has appointed Kate Eves OBE and Andrew Harris as members of the IAPDC from December 2024 to December 2027.

Lynn Emslie, Chair of the IAPDC, has today published her mid-term report which highlights progress made since she began her tenure in February 2023.

The latest prison deaths data are a stark reminder of the risks to life in our closed institutions. The data show that 317 people died in the 12-months to September 2024, a 4% increase compared to the previous 12-month period. Over a quarter of these deaths were self-inflicted.

The Independent Sentencing Review is a crucial step in reducing the prison population and driving much-needed improvements to safety across the estate.

Data published today show a continued increase in the number of deaths in police custody, with 24 deaths in 2023/24. This is higher than the average of 19 police custody deaths per year since records began in 2004/05.

The Chief Inspector of Prisons’ annual report, published yesterday, catalogues the series of ongoing failures to manage prisoners safely across the estate. Suicide and self-harm rates remain worryingly high, with some prisons seeing a considerable increase in these numbers. This must be addressed.

It is a tragic, but well understood, fact that people in state detention have significantly elevated death rates.