Source · Deaths in custody
PPO Fatal Incident Reports
6,395 incidents
5,660 published
1,165 recommendations
1,632 self-inflicted
3,362 natural causes
Deaths in custody investigated by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman. 26% of deaths are self-inflicted. Source: PPO.
Top recommendation themes
Learning & thematic publications
| Title | Type | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| PPO response to JSC Inquiry into Children and Young Adults in the Secure Estate | Consultation response | Jun 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 21: Segregation | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 22: Self-inflicted deaths in reception prisons | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2026 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 20: Epilepsy | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Nov 2025 | |
| Annual Report 2024 to 2025 | Annual report | Jul 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Handling of prisoners’ property | Policy into Practice | Mar 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Handling of property complaints | Policy into Practice | Mar 2025 | |
| Complaints Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 11: Property complaints | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Mar 2025 | |
| PPO response to JSC Tackling Drugs in Prison Inquiry | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| PPO response to JHAC Inquiry into Prison Culture | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| PPO response to JSC inquiry into Rehabilitation and Resettlement | Consultation response | Feb 2025 | |
| Policy into Practice: Emergency Response | Policy into Practice | Jan 2025 | |
| PPO response to the Independent Sentencing Review 2024/25 call for evidence | Consultation response | Jan 2025 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 19: Post-release death investigations 2 | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jul 2024 | |
| Annual Report 2023-24 | Annual report | Jul 2024 | |
| Annual report 2022-23 | Annual report | Jul 2024 | |
| Policy into practice: Use of force | Policy into Practice | Feb 2024 | |
| PPO response to the inquiry into prison population and capacity | Consultation response | Nov 2023 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 18: Self-inflicted deaths of IPP prisoners | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Sep 2023 | |
| Investigating deaths after release from prison – a pilot evaluation | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jan 2023 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 17: Post-release death investigations | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Jan 2023 | |
| PPO response to the inquiry into the Prison Operational Workforce | Consultation response | Jan 2023 | |
| Annual Report 2021-22 | Annual report | Oct 2022 | |
| Policy into Practice: Use of restraints on escort | Policy into Practice | Sep 2022 | |
| PPO Response to the Inquiry into IPP sentences | Consultation response | Jan 2022 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 16: Second wave COVID-19 related deaths | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Dec 2021 | |
| Annual Report 2020-21 | Annual report | Sep 2021 | |
| PPO responses to the Inquiry into Women in Prison | Consultation response | Aug 2021 | |
| Fatal Incident Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 15: COVID-19 PPO fatal incident investigations | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Feb 2021 | |
| Complaints Investigations Learning Lessons Bulletin Issue 10: COVID-19 PPO Complaints | Learning Lessons Bulletin | Dec 2020 |
Incidents
| Name | Establishment | Cause | Status | Date of death | Recs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gordon Suckley | HMP Channings Wood | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Amanda Fitzpatrick | Edith Rigby House Approved Premises | Other | Published | — | — |
| Ryan Martin | HMP Winchester | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Anthony Copeland | HMP Forest Bank | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Adam Goulding | Albion Street Approved Premises | In progress | — | — | |
| Tony Collins | HMP Rochester | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Lucal Brady | HMP Isle of Wight | Natural | Published | — | — |
| Morgan Sullivan | HMP Wandsworth | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Shamraze Hussain | HMP/YOI Doncaster | In progress | — | — | |
| Philip Walton | HMP Stafford | Natural | Published | — | — |
| Richard Hunt | HMP Stocken | In progress | — | — | |
| Paul Hoskins | HMP Bedford | In progress | — | — | |
| Samuel Ross | HMP Long Lartin | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Ionica Profor | HMP Belmarsh | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Brian Wade | HMP Long Lartin | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Michael Jones | HMP Liverpool | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Peter Smith | HMP Wayland | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Paul Pickerill | HMP Garth | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Shareen Akhtar | HMP/YOI Foston Hall | In progress | — | — | |
| Mohamed Bah | HMP Elmley | In progress | — | — | |
| Kasey Rolfe | HMP/YOI High Down | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| William Prince | HMP Preston | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Geoffrey Bradley | HMP Elmley | In progress | — | — | |
| Joshua Price | HMP Leeds | In progress | — | — | |
| Jamie Hammond | HMP Bristol | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Filmon Andmichaen | HMP Full Sutton | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Joe Lynch | HMP Leeds | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Solomon Loveridge | HMP Onley | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Dean Clementson | HMP Forest Bank | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Dirk Weissenbruch | HMP Channings Wood | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Darren Irving | HMP Highpoint | In progress | — | — | |
| Raymond Noble | HMP Leyhill | Natural | Published | — | — |
| Brian David | HMP Channings Wood | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Ifor Whittaker | HMP Littlehey | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Keiron Birks | HMP Fosse Way | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Ronald Carter | HMP Durham | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Maurice Mcentire | HMP Swaleside | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Alan May | HMP/YOI Doncaster | In progress | — | — | |
| Norman Heaton | HMP Full Sutton | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Sidique Govinden | HMP Wandsworth | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Christopher Evans | HMP Swansea | In progress | — | — | |
| Gavin Sever | HMP Liverpool | In progress | — | — | |
| Ace Wilson | HMP Leeds | In progress | — | — | |
| Robert Butler | HMP Fosse Way | In progress | — | — | |
| Mark Jones | HMP Oakwood | In progress | — | — | |
| John Digweed | HMP Garth | Pending inquest | — | — | |
| Alan Priestley | HMP Oakwood | In progress | — | — | |
| Shehroz Iqbal | Joyce Meggie House Approved Premises | In progress | — | — | |
| Sean Sewell | HMP Thameside | In progress | — | — | |
| Warren Arter | HMP Wandsworth | Pending inquest | — | — |