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UK: Prison self-harm increases by a more than a third

01 August 2008

Rates of self-harming in prisons have increased by more than a third in the last four years. The Howard League for Penal Reform said there were 16,393 incidents of self-harm in jails in England and Wales in 2003, as against 22,459 last year. It says the 37% rise is four times the rate of the prison population increase for the same period. A Ministry of Justice spokesman said the rise was due to the introduction of a more "robust reporting system".

Howard League director, Frances Crook, said "the shocking rise is far above what might be expected", as increasing numbers of people with mental health problems and addictions were sent to overcrowded prisons and did not receive proper treatment.

"When men, women and children in jail cut themselves and otherwise assault their own bodies, it is not a cry for help. It is a scream," she said.

"Warehoused temporarily in prison, many individuals are then released, only to reoffend and be returned to custody. Rotting in the chaos and squalor of overcrowded prisons simply serves to exacerbate problems and will most likely lead to more serious and frequent reoffending on release."

Self-injury rates among women inmates have shown the largest increase, with a 48% rise in recorded incidents between 2003 and 2007, according to the Howard League.

As of 11 April, the prison population was 82,003. The Prison Service's "useable operational capacity" was said to be 82,545.

Howard League; BBC 13.4.08