A record 119 people killed themselves in prisons in England and Wales in 2016 – an increase of 29 (32 per cent) over the previous year, according to Ministry of Justice figures.
The prison service is in crisis following a 40 per cent cut in the number of prison officers
The record number of self-inflicted deaths in prison – equal to one every three days – compares with the previous high of 96 in 2004 and represents a doubling of the jail suicide rate since 2012.
The latest official “safety in custody” statistics show that an epidemic of violence has swept prisons in the 12 months to September, with a 40 per cent rise in assaults on staff and a 28 per cent increase in prisoner-on-prisoner assaults. The rise in jail suicides has been accompanied by a 23 per cent increase in incidents of self-harm to 37,784.
The justice secretary, Elizabeth Truss, said: “Since becoming justice secretary, I have been clear that the violence, self-harm and deaths in our prisons are too high.
“I have taken immediate action to stabilise the estate by tackling the drugs, drones and phones that undermine security. We are also investing £100 million annually to boost the frontline by 2,500 officers.
“These are longstanding issues that will not be resolved in weeks or months but our wholescale reforms will lay the groundwork to transform our prisons, reduce reoffending and make our communities safer.”
The Royal College of Psychiatrists said the fact that prison suicides were at record levels was tragic, but it was only one of the most serious consequences of the last government’s decision to cut prison staffing while prisoner numbers were rising.