Violence in overcrowded prisons has risen by almost a third and reached its highest level since the pandemic, according to the UK Ministry of Justice.
The number of assaults increased by 27% to 28,292 for the year ending in March, compared with 22,318 in the previous year. It is approaching the record high of more than 30,000 in 2018-2019.
UK Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said the figures explained why she had “no choice but to act” in deciding to release more than 5,000 prisoners after they had served 40% of their sentences, rather than halfway through.
“Our prisons are in crisis, leading to widespread violence and abuse behind bars. These statistics show what is really happening in prisons today and why we had no choice but to act,” she said.
The number of attacks on staff increased by 24% to 9,847. One in ten of these were considered serious and required medical attention for fractures, cuts, stab wounds or loss of vision.
The Ministry of Justice said violence and self-harm had reached “unacceptable” levels as overcrowding had brought prisons to “breaking point.” The statement also said the situation was exacerbated by the availability of drugs throughout the prison: the number of drugs detected each year had increased by 44%.
The level of self-harm has reached its highest level since records began: 73,804 cases were recorded last year, a 16% increase on the previous year and equivalent to one prisoner self-harming every seven minutes. According to prison officials, overcrowding has been a key factor in the rise in violence and self-harm.
The Prison Reform Trust’s chief executive said: “Today’s figures are a shameful reflection of how far security has fallen in our prisons. In the last year alone, we have seen an increase in the number of self-harm incidents committed by large numbers of people… The government faces a serious challenge to restore safety and stability in our prisons.”
In the UK, prison staff will use artificial intelligence (AI) to predict and prevent violence by prisoners. AI will be used to more accurately assess the risk posed by criminals so that they can be transferred to high-security prisons or placed in special isolation units. The decision to introduce this technology was made after an inmate armed with homemade knives attacked three prison officers.
