Homicides, assaults and self-harm incidents have soared in prisons in England and Wales as the overcrowding crisis deepens, damning new figures show.
Seven prisoners were killed in the year to June 2025, compared to none the previous year. There are usually three or fewer homicides a year, according to the Ministry of Justice's safety in custody statistics.
It comes as overall deaths surged by 30 per cent, after 401 people died in jail in the same period. This includes 86 whose deaths were classed as self-inflicted, down from 93 the previous year.
A record 77,898 incidents of self-harm took place in the 12 months to the end of March 2025 – the equivalent of one every seven minutes.
Over the same period, prisons recorded 30,846 assaults – up nine per cent – including 3,402 classed as serious. Attacks on staff also surged by 7 per cent, with 10,568 assaults recorded.
The alarming figures come as nearly one in five adult prisons in England and Wales have had serious concerns raised about their performance, the highest number since the current system of inspections began.
Some 22 jails were given the lowest possible performance ranking in the year to March, up from 15 in the previous 12 months. A further 37 prisons were assessed as being of concern, up from 35.
The Ministry of Justice findings note the rise “may be a reflection of the pressures facing the prison estate”, as ministers continue to grapple with overcrowding, violence and drugs in jails.
Earlier this month, chief inspector of prisons Charlie Taylor placed HMP Pentonville into special measures over its “chaotic” conditions.
The mice and cockroach-infested north London jail was the 10th to be served an urgent notification since November 2022, according to the watchdog.
The Howard League for Penal Reform warned “prisons cannot go on like this” and said “far more” must be done to reduce pressure on the prison population.
Its director of campaigns, Andrew Neilson, said: “It is unconscionable to see the huge rise in deaths in custody, as well as continued spikes in self-harm and in assaults.
“What is happening behind bars matters to all of us, as exposing people to failing institutions where deaths, distress and violence is the norm, is no way to prepare individuals for a safe and crime-free life on release.”
Inquest, a charity which investigates state-related deaths, said the figures are further evidence of a prison estate in crisis.
“These figures are yet another devastating indictment of the appalling state of the prison system, and the destructive social harms prison regimes generate for people inside,” said Deborah Coles, Inquest’s director.
On Monday, a trial of Tasers in prisons used by specialist officers began as part of efforts to curb the levels of violence against prison officers.
The government, which has vowed to create 14,000 new prison places by 2031, has also announced a new £900,000 cash boost to tackle drones bringing drugs and weapons into prisons.
Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has also accepted a string of recommendations following a major report by David Gauke, which will see some offenders serve less of their sentence in custody in sweeping reforms expected to ease pressure on prisons.
A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: “These statistics once again lay bare the extent of the crisis facing our prisons – with levels of violence, assaults on staff and self-harm far too high.
“The government has made it clear it will do whatever we can to protect our hardworking staff – which is why we are trialling tasers in prisons and mandated protective body armour for prison officers working with the most dangerous offenders.
"But it is clear fundamental change is needed, which is why we’re also reforming our jails so they create better citizens, not better criminals."
