Hundreds of self-harm incidents in Bovingdon prison last year

Ministry of Justice (MoJ) data recorded 279 self-harm incidents at the Category C men's prison in 2019 – with 29 of those resulting in someone being hospitalised.

However, this was actually a 28 per cent drop on the year before, in contrast to the national picture.

Across prisons in England and Wales, self-harm incidents hit a record high of 63,328 last year – a 14 per cent increase on 2018.

But, the number of assaults fell by 7 per cent in the most recent quarter and fell by 4 per cent in the 12 months up to December 2019. The number of self-inflicted deaths fell by 8 per cent over the past 12 months.

These statistics do not cover the period where restrictions were put in place due to coronavirus.

Frances Crook, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, said: “The Government’s own figures, from before the coronavirus lockdown began, reveal the sheer scale of human misery behind bars across England and Wales.

“Since then prison regimes have tightened even further. But these figures show that keeping prisoners safe during the pandemic involves so much more than seeking to reduce rates of infection.

“The need to reduce the prison population could not be clearer. It is intolerable that prisoners should be spending 23 hours or more each day locked in cells, either in overcrowded conditions or prolonged solitary confinement, with nothing to do.”

The MoJ data also showed two deaths in Mount Prison in 2019, and 293 assaults – another record-high.

Prisons and Probation Minister, Lucy Frazer QC MP, said: “I am incredibly grateful to prison staff who have worked so hard to reduce violence on the wings and are now ensuring our jails remain places of safety during these unprecedented times.

“Self-harm remains a huge concern. This is why we must continue to make jails safer and ensure prisoners can access the support they need – which we are doing by extending telephone access and providing dedicated support to each individual.”

Action being taken by the Ministry of Justice on a national scale:

- More than 25,000 staff have had training in suicide and self-harm prevention.

- The partnership with the Samaritans has been refreshed by awarding a grant of £500,000 each year until 2021. This supports the specialist Listeners scheme, through which selected prisoners are trained to provide emotional support to their fellow prisoners.

- The MoJ is also improving the effectiveness of the Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork procedures to better support those at risk of harming themselves.

- Staff and prisoner relationships play an important role in tackling violence. Frontline staffing levels have been increased, allowing us to improve staff-prisoner relationships through the rollout of the key worker scheme.