Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
HMPPS’ data shows that during 2020, there were 67 self-inflicted deaths in custody, and 58,879...
Conclusion
HMPPS’ data shows that during 2020, there were 67 self-inflicted deaths in custody, and 58,879 self-harm incidents in the 12 months to September 2020. We heard from HMPPS that while these levels are high, they are showing signs of declining. The situation remains particularly alarming for female prisoners.8 We welcomed HMPPS’ work to set up a taskforce to address issues facing female prisoners directly, including one-to-one counselling and initiatives to maintain family contact. HMPPS recognised that continuing to learn lessons from how it has managed the impact of the pandemic on prisoners’ wellbeing is critical to its long-term work to prioritise and support prisoner mental health. Its commitment to draw on the expertise of others, including the Samaritans and CLINKS, is encouraging.9 It has also committed to bettering its understanding of the number of prison staff attending training specifically focused on supporting the mental health and wellbeing of prisoners.10 A challenging route to pandemic recovery in the court system
Government Response
Not Addressed
HM Government
Not Addressed
2: PAC conclusion: The pandemic has significantly impacted the wellbeing and life chances of prisoners, making it critical that the Ministry and HMPPS accelerate their work to improve the mental health of prisoners. 2: PAC recommendation: In its Treasury Minute response to this report, the Ministry and HMPPS should set out what progress they have made with the initiatives they put in place to support prisoner mental health since the beginning of the pandemic and the impact this has had on those in prison. 2.1 The government agrees with the Committee’s recommendation. Recommendation implemented 2.2 Prisoners’ safety and health remain a top priority. To mitigate the impact of isolation, the department is delivering in cell-activities including a Wellbeing Plan created with Mind and is ensuring that the Samaritans Listeners peer support scheme continues. To support family contact, the department has rolled out secure video call technology to all establishments, introduced additional secure mobile PIN phones and provided additional PIN credit. 2.3 Effective relationships between staff and prisoners are vital. In the male estate, regular key work sessions are resuming, and the department is introducing the Offender Management in Custody model in the Women’s estate. Prisoners at-risk of self-harm continue to be supported through Assessment, Care in Custody and Teamwork case management. Lack of sentence progression has caused concern for many prisoners, so the department has developed an individualised approach to accredited offending behaviour programmes to provide opportunities for progression. 2.4 NHS England has rolled out telemedicine to enable continuity of care pathways where appropriate, distributing licenses, and secure tablets across the estate. Mental health services have been able to use in-cell telephony for consultations in establishments where this is available. Regional commissioners have responded to changes in local needs during COVID- 19, and one region has deployed mental health support workers as ‘wing walkers’ to support prison residents. 2.5 The department will continue to focus upon supporting prisoners' mental health and monitor the effectiveness of these initiatives.