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Vulnerable prisoners are being put at risk inside one of the country’s most overcrowded prisons, a watchdog has warned. 16 self-inflicted deaths in three years.
Highest number recorded at HMP Leeds suspected suicides of any adult male prison in England and Wales between 2022 and 2025.
Chief Inspector of Prisons Charlie Taylor found weaknesses in care on arrival, unacceptable delays in transfer to hospital under the Mental Health Act and inadequate daily support. leaving prisoners at risk,
He called for the needs of the vulnerable and mentally ill prisoners will be given priority “Ending the unacceptable number of prison suicides”.
Two more inmates have taken their own lives since inspectors visited the prison in July, although deaths are classified as suicide until a coroner rules them suicide.
Nearly eight out of ten people held in Category B reception prisons are forced to share cramped cells designed for one person. Although the Victorian prison is certified for only 655 prisoners, when inspectors visited it held 1,088 prisoners.
Andrea Cumber Casey, chief executive of the Howard League for Penal Reform, blamed “chronic overcrowding” at the prison for putting lives at risk.
He said, “If there had been 16 suicides in three years in any other state facility, there would have been a national outcry and demands for a public investigation.” “What is being done to keep people safe?
“The urgent need for bold action to reduce the prison population is unavoidable. This prison can hold more than 500 people at its own pace, safely and decently.”
Prison leaders have recently introduced random CCTV checks to ensure staff carry out mandatory checks of prisoners at risk of suicide. It comes after a warning from the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman this summer “Widespread falsification” of important investigations. On vulnerable prisoners.
However, prisoners at Leeds told inspectors that, although they appreciated the wing staff checking on them, most officers did not give them time to talk and prisoners felt they did not care.
Inspectors found that about 40 percent of prisoners spend at least 22 hours a day in their cells, with limited access to education, work and other activities.
Nearly six in ten prisoners report feeling unsafe at some point during their stay.
The report found that the use of force has increased by 114 per cent since the last inspection in 2022, with 1,029 incidents recorded in the last 12 months. In the sample of cases reviewed by inspectors, efforts by authorities to deescalate clashes before resorting to force were very limited.
37 percent of prisoners surveyed said they had a drug or alcohol problem and 18 percent said they had developed a drug or alcohol problem while in prison.
Inconsistent employee relations were another challenge. Mr Taylor said: “While some staff demonstrated caring and professionalism, others were aloof or unhelpful.
“One-to-one work with prisoners was halted, less than 3 per cent of planned sessions were held over the past six months, and little was done to tackle the high levels of homelessness upon release.”
Pia Sinha, chief executive of the Prison Reform Trust, said the findings “highlight the human cost when prisons cannot meet the needs of their most vulnerable prisoners”.
He added: “The report highlights familiar patterns in prisons struggling to provide safe, respectful and purposeful conditions: overcrowding, minimal meaningful activity, high levels of drug use, and limited support for constructive staff-prisoner relationships – all made worse by a highly transient population.”
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “This concerning report underlines the crisis that this government has inherited in our prisons. We are already taking immediate action to address the number of self-inflicted deaths at HMP Leeds, including better staff training and creating new special cells that ensure constant monitoring of prisoners at risk.
“We know there is more to do in the prison estate, which is why we are also delivering the largest prison expansion since Victorian times and implementing landmark sentencing reforms to ensure prisons are never short of space again.”
If you are experiencing feelings of distress, or struggling to cope, you can speak to the Samaritans in confidence on 116 123 (UK & ROI), email. jo@samaritans.orgor visit Samaria If you are located in the United States, and you or someone you know needs mental health support at this time, call or message the website for details of your nearest branch, or visit 988lifeline.org To access online chat from 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. This is a free, confidential crisis hotline that is available to anyone 24 hours a day, seven days a week. If you are in another country, you can go here www.befrienders.org To find a helpline near you